Bystander
by Shakespeare's Lemonade
Summary: Steve McGarrett is assigned to protect a witness in a case, while the others search for the murderer. The trouble is the witness can't remember what happened and the bad guy is quite intent on killing her. Steve/OC, Danny/Kono. COMPLETE.
1. Prologue & Not the Plan

"Bystander"

Shakespeare's Lemonade

Rating: T for violence and audience

Genre: Friendship/Action/Romance

Summary: McGarrett is assigned to protect a witness in a case, but will they be able to stand one another enough for him to do his job and will the 5-O team keep the bad guys from finding them?

Pairings: Steve/OC, Danny/Kono

_Prologue_

Hawaii had been more of an idea than a real thing up to this point. McKenzie Carpenter wasn't sure what to make of it as she checked into her hotel.

_I'm going to live here,_ she thought with a deep sigh.

"Here's your key," the hotel employee handed her a card.

"Thanks." McKenzie grinned and picked up her suitcase.

Suddenly there was a loud noise, shouting, and a bitter smell. McKenzie closed her eyes. When she opened them, or so she thought, there were police officers everywhere and several body bags being taken out if the lobby. A blonde detective was trying to question her.

"I think she's in shock," he said as a taller, darker man came up behind him.

"What was the question?" McKenzie asked, furrowing her brows.

"Did you see the shooter?" the second man asked.

"What? Shooter... No. Who are you?"

"Detective Danny Williams." The first one showed his badge. "And Steve McGarrett. I told you this when we got here."

"I'm sorry. I must have... I don't know."

"Okay," McGarrett said, "you just witnessed a quadruple homicide. We need to get your statement. Now the hotel employees say you were staring right at the guy who did this."

"I... what?" The confused look on McKenzie's face was pitiable.

"Post-traumatic stress?" Danny suggested. McGarrett raised his eyebrows. "You should sit down." Danny put a hand on McKenzie's shoulder and led her to a seat. McGarret flagged down one of the EMTs to examine her.

"She's in shock," was his conclusion. "We're gonna need to take her in."

"Okay," McGarrett said. "Danno, you go with her and see if you can get her to remember. I'll finish up here."

"Yeah," Danny replied, shaking his head and following the EMT and McKenzie.

In the ambulance, she seemed to get worse. Her eyes wouldn't focus and she would periodically make comments about calling her parents, about moving to Hawaii. Danny learned that she'd just arrived from Medford, Oregon to live closer to her parents. He thought it very ironic.

At the hospital, Danny didn't get much more out of McKenzie. The doctor told him he'd have to wait until they could get her blood pressure down. She continued babbling, but from all Danny could gather, she remembered nothing of the shooting.

From the waiting room, he called Steve.

"She hasn't come back to Earth yet," he said, "and since it's a psychological thing, they're gonna have to call in a specialist."

"How long will that take?" Steve asked, obviously irritated.

"No clue."

"She's the only one who can tell us anything."

"What, no one else saw the guy?"

"No. Not even enough to know if it was a guy or a chimpanzee. Everyone says she was staring at the shooter."

"Yeah, well, from what I can tell, she basically blacked out for about fifteen minutes."

"Okay, well, see if you can get anything else and then meet back at the office. Chin and Kono are going through security videos, but I doubt they'll find anything."

"Right. See you later."

Danny hung up and looked down the hospital hallway. McKenzie was still in the exam room and her parents hadn't arrived yet. He stood and paced back and forth, trying to think of what to do next. Morning turned into afternoon and the psychologist, Dr. Eisner arrived to see McKenzie. They still hadn't gotten a hold of the parents.

When the psychologist finished his evaluation, he had McKenzie admitted and came to talk to Danny.

"I'm not sure what to tell you, Detective," he said, as they sat down. "She's completely repressed the event and it's going to be very difficult and painful to get her to remember."

"So, she has no idea what happened for fifteen minutes?"

"Yes, just that. She was fully conscious, but has no memory of the shooting. This is not uncommon in situations like this. Even if she does remember, those memories may be corrupted by the repression. Her mind could create a scenario that didn't actually happen."

"So we're screwed, basically?"

"You never know. I wouldn't hold my breath on this witness, though."

"Okay, well, thanks. Could you have her call us if she remembers anything."

"Of course. I'll keep you updated on her progress as well."

"Thank you, Doctor."

They stood, shook hands, and Danny left.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie slept soundly in the hospital until a loud noise woke her. She shot up in bed, screaming, but not knowing why. There was a shuffling of feet, more shouting and lights coming on. Someone in black was running away and someone was shouting for someone else to call the police.

The doctor came over to McKenzie and asked if she was all right.

"My shoulder hurts," she said. Then, looking at the object in question, she saw blood soaking the sleeve of her hospital gown.

"He shot you," the doctor said. Immediately, her bed was wheeled into another room, and her injury was tended.

It wasn't bad, but she had to answer a lot of questions again. Or, rather, try to answer. She didn't really know what to tell the police.

"We're going to need to get 5-O in here," said one of the officers.

**Chapter One "Not the Plan"**

"This wasn't exactly the plan," Governor Pat Jameson said, handing Steve McGarrett a file. "But she's the only lead and whoever did this is trying to kill her. You're the best man for the job."

Steve nodded. "Unfortunately. How am I supposed to keep up with the case?"

"You won't. We need you to be untraceable. Even her parents can't know what happened."

"What will you tell them?"

"She's in witness protection. That's all they need to know."

"Witness protection. Not exactly in the job description."

"Well, if it weren't for Williams' ACL..."

"I know." Steve cocked his head. "Where is she?"

"Waiting at the hospital. You'll switch cars there. The directions will be in the glove box. I'll need your phone and any other traceable electronics."

"Sure. Hey."

"What?"

"What's her name?"

"McKenzie Carpenter."

"Right. Carpenter."

Steve left the office, without a word to his team. He drove to the hospital and found the girl waiting for him at a back entrance. She followed him silently to the car and once he was sure they weren't being followed, he asked her to open the glove box. Inside were directions to a house outside of Honolulu.

"So you're Steve?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, shortly.

"I met you yesterday, I guess. Do my parents know where I am?"

"They know you're in witness protection."

"Oh. I really didn't see anything. I don't know why this person is after me."

"Let's hope that's not true."

"What?"

"You're the only person who saw anything." Steve finally looked at McKenzie. "And you can't remember."

"The psychologist says I have PTSD, but I honestly remember nothing."

"Well, Dr. Eisner will be visiting you regularly to try to fix that."

"But do I really want to remember?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe we should just let this guy kill whomever he likes." Steve didn't mean to sound as annoyed as he was.

"Sorry," McKenzie replied in a small voice.

Steve looked over at her again. Her small frame seemed to retreat into the car door. He sighed and changed the subject.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Twenty-four," she replied, still quiet.

She looked seventeen. "What do you do?"

"I have a degree in elementary education. I was hoping to get a job here, closer to my mom and dad."

Steve frowned. "Why were you staying at a hotel?"

"They didn't get back from a business trip until this morning. I thought it'd be fun to spend one night as a tourist before settling in."

"Some vacation."

"Yeah. So how about you?"

"What?"

"Well, you can answer all the questions you asked me."

"It's my job to ask questions."

"So, why is it so hard to answer them?"

Steve stared at McKenzie. Large freckles stood out on her round nose. Her wispy red hair framed bright blue-green eyes. He looked back at the road.

"Fine," he said, "I'm thirty-two. I was in the Navy. I came back here after my father's murder. Now I run the Five-O task-force."

"I'm sorry... what's Five-O?"

"It's... never mind. It's just a name."

McKenzie shrugged into the door again. She would soon become used to Steve's irritability.

**H-5-O**

Danny had the unpleasant task of informing the Carpenters of their daughter's situation. Not that the Carpenters were particularly difficult. He just didn't like telling people bad news.

"So, she'd safe?" Mrs. Carpenter asked.

Danny wanted to say something sarcastic about Steve, but knew it would be a bad time. The truth would be better. "In a situation like this, I would want him protecting my daughter," he said.

Mr. Carpenter's eyes brightened. "How old is your daughter?"

"Nine," he replied.

"You can imagine this is difficult for us."

"Of course. I just want you to know that she is in the best possible hands. We'll inform you of any new developments as soon as we can."

"Thank you, Detective," Mrs. Carpenter said.

As they left, Danny felt sure that could have gone much worse. The family was satisfied for the time being, so he and the others could get to their job.

**H-5-O**

The house was back in the woods far enough that it couldn't be seen, but that those in it could see if anyone approached.

Getting out of the car, McKenzie gazed up at the trees with wide eyes.

"Never seen trees before?" Steve asked, getting their things out of the trunk.

McKenzie looked back at him. "No, this just reminds me of home."

"You lived in Oregon right?"

"Yeah, Medford. It was a sort of rainforest."

"Well." Steve unlocked the door. "This is going to be home until my team catches the guy who's after you."

Inside, the house was airy and spacious. The two bedrooms were next to one another right off the main living area. The kitchen/dining room/living room was all one big area with a glass door on one end leading to a small patio with stone railing. Along one wall was a bank of computer monitors, displaying all the security cameras.

McKenzie took all this in in a few seconds. She began to feel a little nervous about sharing this space with a stranger who would be watching her all the time.

"The phone is for emergencies only," Steve was saying. "That means, you don't pick it up until I'm dead." McKenzie hoped he was joking, but she didn't think so. "Don't go outside without telling me first and don't go out of sight of the house. That includes the balcony."

"Okay," McKenzie said. She meant it. She was quite ready to be cooperative.

"Dr. Eisner will be brought out here once a day to visit you. He'll be blindfolded on the ride so he won't know where we are."

"Unless he's Sherlock Holmes."

"Let's hope not, huh?" Steve didn't seem to think it was very funny.

McKenzie wondered how nice it would be to live in the same house with him. It wasn't off to a good start.

He sat down at the desk with all the computers and checked all the monitors. McKenzie decided to get settled in, not having any idea how long she would be living there. Thankfully, she had all the things she brought to the hotel. Her room was large and the bed looked comfortable. She was tempted to jump on it for a second, but thought better of it. The noise might alert her protector, she thought.

So, she sat on the bed and looked around the room. There was a large closet with a mirror on one door, a high, opaque window, and a large dresser. She laid back on the red comforter and sighed. This wasn't exactly how she pictured her first twenty-four hours in Hawaii to be. First she was traumatized, shot, and apprehended by the government. Now she was stuck in a house with an admittedly good-looking, but uptight bodyguard.

As if on cue, Steve called her out into the main room.

"Carpenter," he said. "You want some lunch."

She came out of the bedroom, hands on her hips. "My name is McKenzie," she said.

He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and apathy. Not being used to his strange expressions, she was initially shocked.

"What?" he asked at her frown.

"You made a very strange face."

"Oh, no, don't start that."

"Huh?"

"I do not make faces. Now are you hungry?"

"Yes. Do you really care, or are you just trying to keep me alive."

"Same thing."

"No they're not."

"Okay, I made sandwiches. If you want one, it's there, if not, whatever."

Steve took his own lunch and sat down and turned the TV on.

"So are you trying not to like me, or are you just a jerk?" McKenzie asked, sitting next to him with her own lunch.

"What?" Steve seemed genuinely confused.

"Well, you made me lunch. That was nice. But you seem annoyed at me most of the time."

"The circumstances are annoying."

"Well, I didn't ask to witness a quadruple homicide and not remember it... this is good."

"Thanks. I know you didn't mean to be an obstacle, but you could _try_ to remember."

"How?"

"I don't know. I guess Eisner will help with that."

"So, you'll be nice to me now?"

"What?"

"I'm very sensitive."

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure being nice is in the job description."

"Is protecting witnesses in your job description anyway?"

"No. Usually I'm the one chasing after drug dealers and terrorists."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"'Cause my partner tore his damn ACL."

"Huh?"

"Plus I'm the best person for the job."

"You've lost me."

"The Five-Os are very exclusive... there are four of us. Chin and Kono do a lot of the technological stuff and me and Danny chase the bad guys. Danny re-injured his ACL. He blames me, of course."

"Why?"

"Apparently I have a penchant for getting into violent situations. Danny got shot the first day on the job."

"Ooh, you fill me with confidence."

"We're not going after the perp. This is going to be boring."

"Now you're just humoring me."

"Yeah, well you have PTSD. I can _try_ to be nice."

"That's good enough I guess."


	2. Cold

**Chapter Two "Cold"**

**Thanks for all the great reviews! You guys are awesome!**

**I'm not sure how accurate my psychological information is, but even scientists don't know all about how the brain works, so I can make up whatever I want... within reason.**

Danny swung back and forth in his chair, staring at the ceiling. It was some unholy hour of the night and he would rather have been anywhere but the office.

"What kind of guy kills four people in broad daylight?" Kono mused. "An why didn't anyone or any camera see him?"

"I think it's time we started looking at victimology," Danny said, with slight distaste.

"That's your kingdom," Chin said, staring at a computer screen.

"I know. But it sucks."

"Would you rather be babysitting?" Chin raised his eyebrows.

"Depends... No."

"I figured."

"Okay," Kono said, "so these guys were business partners right? Who would want to thwart them? Why would someone want to kill all four of them? And how would that person also have the means to go after the only witness?"

"Good questions," Danny said. "I have no idea."

"I think we need coffee," Kono said, getting up and grabbing her wallet. "What do you guys want?"

**H-5-O**

McKenzie got permission to go out on the patio for a while at sunset. It was her first real night in Hawaii. She wanted to enjoy it. However, that was not to be. Steve came out to join her after a few minutes. She didn't dislike Steve, but he was sort of... uptight. He also reminded her of why she was there.

"So, how are the Oregon sunsets?" he asked.

She gave him a curious look before answering. "More angry sometimes. It was overcast a lot more. Here it seems more... energetic than anything."

"It's Hawaii."

"So I'm told."

"You came here just to be close to your parents?"

"Just?"

"Well... I don't know. You're close apparently?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen them since I started college... except on Skype."

"Hm."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just don't get it."

"Why I love my parents?"

"No, just why you'd want to be so close to them. What was wrong with Oregon?"

"I loved Oregon. I love my mom and dad more. They're basically my only family. No siblings, cousins, nothing."

Steve shrugged. "I guess you just had a different experience than me."

"I guess so. You said your dad was murdered?"

"Yeah, about a year ago. I came back to find the man who killed him."

"Did you?"

"Yeah."

"You weren't very close?"

"Well, Dad had a strange way of showing affection... well, not at all, mostly."

"I'm sorry. My dad and I are like partners in crime. I bet he wishes he were here now."

"I don't think I could handle two of you."

McKenzie smirked. "No, not even you, G.I. Joe."

"It's McGarrett. Or Steve, Carpenter."

"Uh-huh, it's McKenzie. Like Em-see-capital-Kay-enzie."

"I'm so gonna call you that now."

"Yeah right."

"I'm serious. My partner, Danny? I call him Danno 'cause his little girl does. He hates it."

"And that's why you call him that?"

"No, it's just cute."

"You really don't seem like the sentimental type to me."

"Yeah, well, I'm deep like that... it's getting dark. We should go in."

McKenzie followed Steve back into the house. She figured her time with him wouldn't be too terrible.

**H-5-O**

Something loud, something sharp, something hot featured in McKenzie's dreams that night. There was some kind of urgency, but she didn't know why. There was someone dangerous and a soft orange light. There was Steve, looking dark and violent, and there was his partner, looking very dead.

McKenzie had never seen anything look more dead.

**H-5-O**

"What? What is it?" Steve shouted, rushing into the room.

McKenzie sat up and opened her eyes. "Huh?"

"You were screaming." Steve's voice was tense and he had his gun out.

"I was?"

Steve ceased scanning the room and lowered his gun to his side. "Were you dreaming?"

"I don't think so. I just woke up and you were there, freaking out."

"You were screaming bloody murder."

"Um, okay?" McKenzie shrugged.

Steve sighed. "Eisner's gonna want to hear about this."

**H-5-O**

Danny woke to find his face in his desk. The first thing he saw were six empty coffee cups. The first thing he heard was Kono's voice.

"Morning," she said.

"Please tell me you have another one of those," Danny said, eying the white paper cups.

"Better," Kono replied, setting a plate in front of Danny. "This place has a kitchen. Did you know that?"

On the plate were a pile of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. "I do now," Danny said, and began eating. "Thank you," he said with his mouth full.

"Don't mention it. Chin is interviewing some of our victims' associates."

"Already?" Danny balked. "Okay, now I feel like a total ass."

Kono smirked. "Don't worry about it. You stayed up later than we did."

"Not that it did much good." Danny looked over the papers and files scattered over his desk. "I can't figure out why anyone would want to kill these guys."

"Well, maybe their friends will know something more. They were wealthy, successful. They must have stepped on some toes somewhere."

"Yeah, hopefully only ten."

"It's never the most obvious suspect."

"Yeah." Danny finished his breakfast and stood up. "I must look like hell." He ran a hand through his hair and over his bristly face.

"I'll give you five minutes," Kono said. "The place has showers too."

**H-5-O**

Dr. Eisner arrived right on time. He carried a leather messenger bag and wore casual clothes. He was a large man with a dark red beard and a deep, resonating voice. McKenzie liked him. Steve had little opinion.

"How was your night?" he asked, after being offered and accepting a cup of tea. McKenzie offered the tea. Steve stood off to the side of the room with his back to the wall and arms crossed.

"Fine," McKenzie said. "Except I think this one's a little paranoid." She inclined her head toward Steve.

"What do you mean?" Eisner asked.

"He came into my room in the middle of the night, guns blazing, like I was being attacked."

"You were screaming," Steve said calmly.

"I wasn't." McKenzie almost stomped.

Dr. Eisner rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Miss Carpenter, did you have any dreams last night."

"None that I remember. And you can call me McKenzie."

"Well, let's start into the recall exercises. Detective, I will need to consult with you later."

Steve nodded once and removed himself a little further, though still in earshot of McKenzie and the doctor.

They spent a couple of hours practicing recall until McKenzie was tired. Eisner sent her to her room and called Steve over to the table.

"What exactly happened last night?" Eisner asked as Steve sat down.

"I was half asleep," Steve began, "when I heard her—I know it was her because I watched the hospital security videos—screaming. I was in the room withing three seconds and she was still lying down. Like she was still asleep. She acted like I woke her up and had no idea she'd been screaming. She still denies it."

"Hmm... night terrors."

"What?"

"Not to be confused with nightmares. A person remembers a nightmare, but not a night terror. Most likely she was reliving the event, or part of it. Perhaps even projecting her own fears onto it."

"What can you do about that?"

"Very little under these circumstances. She won't remember her dreams or the murders until her brain allows it, which it may not. Hopefully, my visits will help her. It won't be easy."

"I never backed down from a challenge."

"Detective McGarrett this girl is a person. And not just some criminal into who's head you can pry. Post-traumatic stress is a very delicate matter. We must be careful not to damage her mind further."

"Okay, so what do I do?"

"Answer her screams. Tell her what she does, even if she doesn't remember." Eisner stood up. "I have to go now. I'll be back at the same time tomorrow."

Steve nodded and the doctor left.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie came out of her room later, draped in a large black sweatshirt and wearing fuzzy slippers.

From the couch, Steve eyed her with curiosity. "You're not gonna get much use out of those," he said.

McKenzie seemed to retreat further into the blackness. "I like being warm," she said.

"Where is that?" Steve asked as she sat down.

McKenzie saw that he was looking at the white letters on her shirt. "Wallowa Lake? Um, it's near Joseph... Enterprise? Um... it's in Eastern Oregon."

Steve nodded. He still had little idea where that was.

"I have pictures on my computer," McKenzie said. "We used to go there on vacation a lot. They call it Little Switzerland."

"Well, I've never been there either," Steve said.

"But I would assume you've heard of it."

"Touche."

"Had I just jabbed you with a foil, I would be more amused."

"What, you fence too?"

"No, I just know a lot of words."

"So this lake?"

"Yeah. It's about five miles long. There used to be a family of eagles in the dead trees on the north end. One time we went canoeing. There's this mountain called Howard that has a gondola. We went up once and the air was so thin, I got tired after just walking for a few minutes. It was really cold too. Sometimes, we would go backpacking in the Eagle Caps."

"Sounds like you loved it there."

"Yeah. It felt like going into another world, but another world that was your home all along. Like Narnia or something."

"I never read that."

"Ack! You have to!" McKenzie jumped up and ran to her room. She came back with a big black book and handed it to Steve.

"I'm not really into reading," Steve began.

"Well, you'll have lots of time," McKenzie interrupted. "Unless you'd rather I read it to you."

Steve held onto the book. "I know how to read."

"That's not what I said."

"Okay, I'll read your silly book. Happy?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask why?"

"It's essential."

Steve leaned his head back on the couch and rolled his eyes, deciding that McKenzie was officially weird. He opened the book to the first page: "The Magician's Nephew."

_Great_, he though, _a fairy tale_.

Well, he promised. And Steve McGarrett was a man of his word. Which is why he didn't usually make promises.


	3. Psychobabble

**Chapter Three "Psychobabble"**

**Once again, thank you for all the amazing reviews! I'm so glad you all like this story because it's a lot of fun to write. I just want to let you know that I'm going to try to keep a balance of what's going on at the safe house and what's going on with the team.**

Chin-ho listened intently as Jason Anderson's widow told him about her husband and his business partners.

"They were trying to get away," she said through tears. "They were tired of the fast lane. They wanted to enjoy life. That's why we all moved here."

"Mrs. Anderson," Chin said, "can you think of anyone who would want to hurt them? Former employees, perhaps?"

"No, they never hurt anyone. They turned the company over to capable hands. Nothing changed when they left."

"What about layoffs, maybe even years ago?"

"I don't know. You would have to ask Jenny, Chris' wife. She was more involved in the company than I was."

"All right, thank you for your time." Chin left Mrs. Anderson and moved on to Jenny Lee.

All the while he was thinking about how Danny would do a much better job.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie had more night terrors that she didn't remember, only this time, Steve stayed in her room and explained it to her.

"Dr. Eisner told you that?" she asked.

"Yeah," Steve replied. "He said to tell you when you did it. He thinks you're reliving the murders."

"I really don't remember."

"Apparently that's normal."

"I have a very good memory."

"You know what repression is?"

"Freud. We repress harmful thoughts. I think he was kind of a quack."

"Maybe, but how else do we account for your loss of fifteen minutes?"

"I don't know. If it helps, I'm sufficiently freaked out about it."

"What _do_ you remember?"

"Um... there was a loud noise, like a crack and an explosion put together. Then people started screaming and shouting and there was this smell."

Steve's ears perked up. "Smell can be a powerful memory. What was it like?"

"Bitter... hot. I felt it burning in my sinuses." McKenzie looked Steve in the eye. "That's all."

"Then there was nothing?"

"No, then your partner said something about shock and you showed up, and they took me to the hospital, and... that's sort of a blur."

"So it went straight from the smell to Danny?"

"Yeah. It was weird."

"Do you think you might remember if you smelled it again?"

"I have no idea. How would you duplicate it?"

Steve smirked. "Target practice."

**H-5-O**

When Danny and Kono arrived at the hotel suite, Chin looked relieved. The three of them stood near the door and Chin brought them up to speed.

"Mrs. Lee said they had a few layoffs last year, but no one made any threats or seemed overly agitated. I'm going to check them out, but I have a feeling I won't find anything."

"No other suspects?" Danny asked.

"No, these women seem to think their husbands were loved by everyone. And none of their other contacts have been helpful."

"Everyone's got their secrets and maybe these guys shared one. We're going to need to get into all of their private communications. It's no coincidence they were all killed at once. Maybe whatever they were hiding they took to their graves. Maybe not."

**H-5-O**

Steve woke early the next morning with a plan. Danny would have had something to say about that, had he been there.

When McKenzie got up, he was at the counter packing things into a small duffel bag. "Are you running away from home?" she asked.

"No," he replied, looking up, "we're going to the beach."

"Heavily armed?"

"Yes."

McKenzie poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat down, not bothering to ask more questions. After eating, she got ready for the beach in her own way. Which was wearing a bathing suit and flip-flops. She assumed that was how normal people did it, even in Hawaii.

When she came back to the main room, she noted with satisfaction that Steve was at least wearing shorts and flip-flops. He checked his bag once more and looked up.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Sure," McKenzie relied, suppressing a grin.

They headed out the door and down a sandy path. The path led down a steep hill, out of the trees. Once there, they had to scramble over some rocks to get to a small beach, surrounded by cliffs. The valley-like environment made the waves crashing on the shore much louder than Steve had expected. He dropped his bag in the sand and turned to McKenzie.

"Stand here," he said. "The waves will probably drown out some of the noise, but you might want to cover your ears."

He took one of the guns from the bag, and before McKenzie could ask what he was doing, he aimed it at the far cliff face and fired several times. McKenzie's hands flew to her ears and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Then there was the smell. The exact same smell as in the lobby two days before. Only now, it was stronger. Snippets of images came into McKenzie's vision: the golden light, the black gun, blood spatter, Danny laying on the floor.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the sand and Steve was shaking her by her shoulders. She heard her name several times and then, "are you okay?"

Her vision focused. "Yeah." She found her voice. She was sitting with her legs under her and Steve was kneeling in front of her. The gun was on the ground at his side, within reach.

"Did you remember anything?" he finally asked.

"I'm not sure," McKenzie began. "I saw things that looked real... and things that didn't."

"Okay, just start at the beginning."

"I closed my eyes. I smelled it. Then I was in the hotel lobby again. The sun was streaming through the windows. There was someone with a gun, and then there was blood, and..."

"And what?"

"Well this is the part I think wasn't real. I saw your partner on the floor."

For a second Steve didn't know how to respond. Obviously, that didn't happen, but why would McKenzie be seeing it? A thought came to him.

"Are you worried about my team?"

"What?"

"Eisner said you might project your own fears into the memories."

"I don't know. Maybe. I suppose they _are_ in a dangerous position."

"Okay, so leaving that, what about the rest?"

"I didn't see the shooter. I mean, I don't think I did. I don't remember it. But I saw his gun. I saw blood. I know there must be more; the scene is incomplete."

"I think that's good for now. We'll tell Eisner about it this afternoon."

"And in the meantime?"

"We'll go swimming." Only then did Steve finally let go of McKenzie's shoulders.

**H-5-O**

Kono spent most of he morning hacking into e-mails. Danny spent it tracking down benign former employees. Chin fell asleep on the couch.

"Slept more than me, huh?" Danny said, giving Kono an accusatory look.

She shrugged. "Okay, maybe it was just me."

"Anyway, I'm not finding anything, how about you?"

Kono looked serious. "These guys were involved in some kind of... religion I think. But it almost seems like a club too."

"I think the word you're looking for is cult."

"Yeah, well, they were serious about it. Paranoid too."

"What do you mean?"

"They keep saying things like, 'protect ourselves' and 'malevolent spirits'. It's frankly giving me the creeps."

Danny came over and looked at Kono's computer screen. "Maybe one of those malevolent spirits followed them... with an M-16."

"Stop."

"What? I don't mean I think it was a ghost. A ghost couldn't hold a gun."

"Really?" Kono scowled sarcastically.

"Yeah, really. These guys may have believed something paranormal was out to get them, but either way, something tangible did. Maybe someone behind this 'religious club'."

"Okay, okay, you're very clever. We should ask the wives if they know anything."

"See, was that so hard?"

"Yes. I can't wait till Steve gets back."

Danny put a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt."

Kono rolled her eyes. "Let's let Chin sleep. He doesn't like doing this anyway."

**H-5-O**

McKenzie stared out at the waves. For a second she saw Brookings. She remembered spending spring break there her last year of college.

"You coming?" Steve asked. He had already started down the beach.

"Uh, yeah," McKenzie replied following slowly.

"What?"

"What what?"

"You had a look."

"My ocean is very cold."

"It's the same one you know? But I'm pretty sure it's warmer here."

"Yeah... um, why don't you just go?" McKenzie stopped and turned to go back.

"Because I can't leave you alone."

"Oh, sorry." She started following him again.

Steve sighed. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Maybe you could just tell me how cold it is."

Steve fought laughter. "Okay, come on."

They reached the tide line and Steve put his foot in.

"It's fine," he said.

"Are you sure?" McKenzie looked genuinely concerned.

Steve allowed himself a light chuckle. "Yes, it's not cold."

McKenzie inched closer to the water, but suddenly, Steve grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into the waves. There was a short lived scream before they both went under. When they surfaced, they were in deeper water and McKenzie couldn't feel the bottom.

"You lied!" she shrieked.

"No I didn't," Steve retorted. "This isn't cold."

"In one man's opinion." She started trying to swim back to shore, but another wave came up and pulled them under again. With much struggling, McKenzie finally made it back to where she could stand up. From his position further out, Steve could see she was shivering and her lips were turning purple.

"You're really cold?" he called, incredulously.

"Yes." She pouted.

Steve shook his head and dove under the water. He came up next to McKenzie and she jumped at his sudden appearance.

"All right," he said in resignation, "we'll go sit in the sun and make sandcastles and all that crap."

McKenzie smiled and her teeth chattered. "I'm still not forgiving you yet."

They began walking back to the beach. "Hey, I was just trying to get you mind off of our previous exercise. I figured you might as well have some fun."

"So you thought you'd drag me into the ocean? Very well, but I think sandcastles sound like more fun."

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

They spent the rest of the morning on the beach and then headed back to the house for lunch. After that, there was some disagreement as to who got to use the single shower first.

"I'm the girl," was McKenzie's final argument.

"That's not fair," Steve replied.

"Well, take it up with God."

Steve shook his head and smirked. "Fine. Go ahead."

McKenzie grinned triumphantly and disappeared into the bathroom. She took long enough that she was done by the time Dr. Eisner arrived, but Steve wasn't. So, McKenzie told him about the morning's experiment from her own perspective.

For a while, the psychologist made no reply. He sat with his fingertips together and his eyes fluttered.

"And these memories," he finally said, "how certain are you of them?"

"I..." McKenzie began. "I'm not sure. Some of it feels like a dream, but I know the noise and the smell were real. I assume there must have been someone there, but that part is blank. I know that four people were shot. I heard it and saw the blood. Then it gets weird."

"Yes, the apparent death of Detective Williams is a strange anomaly."

"What?" Steve asked, coming into the room, looking alarmed.

"We were discussing McKenzie's memories this morning," Eisner said calmly.

Steve visibly relaxed until Dr. Eisner gave him a strange look and turned back to McKenzie. They finished up their session and McKenzie once again left the room. Then Eisner turned back to Steve.

"Detective, your efforts this morning, while admirable and even effective, were nonetheless unnecessarily dangerous."

Steve bit the inside of his mouth to avoid making a sharp comeback. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Look, Doc, you can come in here every afternoon and go through all your psychobabble, but what I did actually accomplished something. I'm not saying what you do doesn't work, but it takes a long time and we've got a quadruple murderer to catch."

"Yes, I understand that, and I'm glad you took the initiative, but think of her mental state."

"Yeah, I get that, but wouldn't the best thing be for her to remember?"

"Possibly."

"Possibly? You think there is a good scenario where someone represses a memory?"

"If that memory is dangerous to that person's mental health. Some people are not as resilient as, say, you."

Steve saw that this conversation would probably get him nowhere. "Right. No more target practice."

"I did not say that."

"What?"

"I think it was a good idea, but you might have asked me first and allowed me to be present. Did you ever consider going into psychology?"

"No," Steve replied definitively. "Never."


	4. Supernatural

**Chapter Four "Supernatural"**

**I just looked at the Hawaii Five-0 page and there are lots of new and updated stories, yay! **

**This chapter is a bit longer and has a lot more of Danny and Kono, but we all love them, right? Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites and stuff. It's great to know people like my story.**

Danny had decided before entering the hotel suite that he was not going to take anything the victims' wives said at face value. The case was beginning to get weirder. Maybe the wives knew something, maybe they didn't. It was more likely that they did.

Danny decided to start with Jenny Lee.

"A cult?" she replied to his first question.

"This is surprising?" Danny already knew the answer she would give, but thus far, she hadn't been very convincing.

"Of course," Jenny said. "I mean, Chis was a spiritual person, they all were, but never anything so drastic."

"Can you be sure of that?"

"You think I don't know my own husband? I worked with him and the others every day."

"We find that people often don't know those closest to them as well as they think."

"I knew my husband." Jenny crossed her arms.

"Well, then I have to ask. Did you have any knowledge of these?" Danny handed Jenny some of the e-mails.

She flipped through them and quickly replied, "No."

"Then maybe you didn't know him as well as you thought."

She resented that. Danny was beyond caring. Something about Jenny Lee rubbed him wrong.

According to Kono the other wives were equally clueless, but not so resistant.

"I think Mrs. Lee knows something," Danny said as they headed for the car.

"You think?" Kono asked, opening the passenger door of the Camaro.

"She goes on about how well she knows her husband and all that crap and then takes a millisecond look at the e-mails and says she knows nothing. It doesn't add up."

They started down the road back to the office.

"That is odd, because the others actually read them. They acted shocked."

"So, Jenny Lee is a creepy widow, what else do we know?"

"Well, if she's as paranoid as they were, it makes sense she wouldn't want to say anything."

"So we need to find out if she had any contact with the vics about this cult thing."

"And figure out who actually wanted them dead."

"Yeah, there's the little matter of that."

"You really miss Steve don't you?"

"What? No! Why would you say that?"

"Because you're more stressed than usual."

"Oh, more than usual?"

"Yeah, usually you're stressing about your daughter, your ex, Steve's crap..."

"Okay, what's your point?"

"Steve's not here."

"What does that mean?"

"You have to stress about something else."

"And what's that?"

"Steve not being here. You're not used to making all the decisions."

"Where is all this coming from?" Danny looked across the car at Kono.

"I just think you should know that we're all a little on edge because of this."

"Okay, so can we get back to the case now?"

"No," Kono insisted.

"What?"

"I had something else in mind."

**H-5-O**

That evening was spent in far too domestic a fashion for Steve's tastes. McKenzie made grilled cheese after which the two of them sat on opposite ends of the couch, reading in silence. To his credit, Steve was actually trying to be interested in the adventures of Digory and Polly. Trying with little success. When he got to the part where Polly suddenly disappeared, his eyebrows shot up. The snapping sound of a quickly turned page made McKenzie look up.

"Don't make that face," Steve said without looking up.

McKenzie pressed her lips together and didn't say a word.

The pages began flipping faster until Steve finally closed the book. McKenzie had long since fallen asleep in her corner. He smirked, set the book on the coffee table, and covered McKenzie with a blanket. Then he rubbed his eyes and realized he'd been reading too long. So, he turned off the lights, checked that the house was secure, and went to bed.

It was four AM before McKenzie started screaming again. Steve was becoming used to it, but it still gave him a chilled feeling as he automatically leaped out of bed and rushed to her. This time was different though. She was wide awake on the couch. He could see her wide eyes in the dark and hear her panting breath. He set his gun on the coffee table, next to the big, black book.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I saw it; I remember," she said, seeming to be on the verge of tears.

"What do you remember?" Steve asked, reaching out and holding her forearms.

"Everything. Everything."

"Okay, just calm down. Breathe."

McKenzie took several deep breaths. "I'm sorry," she said.

"What? Why?"

"I... I just..."

"Look, McKenzie, there's nothing to be sorry for. Just try to be calm. There's no hurry."

McKenzie nodded several times and tried the breathing again. As her respiration slowed, she seemed to relax.

"Go back to sleep," Steve whispered, and smoothed back the hair sticking to McKenzie's sweaty forehead.

"But..." she started.

"Shh, go to sleep. You can tell me in the morning."

Steve helped McKenzie lay back down and covered her up again. If she hadn't been so tired, she might have resisted. As it was, she closed her eyes and fell asleep within minutes.

Steve stood beside the couch for several minutes after McKenzie's breathing became regular. Then he decided it was about time he checked in with the team. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that at four AM.

**H-5-O**

"I'm not sure if I've explained this to you," Danny said as Kono parked the Camaro. "I hate the beach."

"I know." Kono smirked. "But you need a break."

Danny inhaled through his teeth. "I'm thinking not."

"Hey, I got you this far." Kono shrugged and got out of the car. "You don't even have to get wet. Just sit there and relax."

"Yeah, like I can relax thinking about all the places I'm going to find sand for the next year." Danny closed his own door and glared at the vicious waves.

"Stop being such a drama queen." Kono tossed Danny a towel and turned and walked down the path to a large beach.

There weren't many people there because it was the middle of the week so Kono chose a nice spot and laid out her towel on the sand.

"Have I also mentioned what an incredible waste of time this is?" Danny asked, gingerly laying his towel next to hers.

"Once or twice," Kono said. "Don't worry about it. Chin is looking for more information on the creepy cult thing. We can get a fresh start in the morning."

"So, we're just supposed to waste the entire afternoon?"

Kono sighed and laid down on her towel. Danny sat down because he didn't know what else to do. There really wasn't anything he could do and he would be just as useless at the office as on the beach. It was just that being in the office made him _feel_ a little less useless.

After a few minutes, Kono turned over and looked up at Danny.

"You should put on some sunscreen," she said, and reached into her bag for it.

Danny stared at her for a second. He couldn't argue.

**H-5-O**

Steve found that going back to sleep would not be feasible. He thought it ironic that he was losing more sleep than McKenzie. He sat in the chair at the foot of the couch and turned on a small lamp. He picked up the book and found his place. He had finished book one and began book two. The idea of walking trough a closet into a world full of nasty witches and animate trees was sort of creepy in the darkness of a strange living room, but Steve read several chapters before the sun rose. He wasn't sure if it was just him, but every time Edmund snapped at someone he was reminded of Danny.

Closing the book, Steve thought of McKenzie's strange vision of Danny lying on the floor. By this time, he couldn't deny that he was worried about his team. And he had a good reason. If McKenzie was worried about them, it might be saying something about the murderer. It might be a rational fear that she simply couldn't express.

So, Steve stared at the clock, waiting for the time he could call and make sure everyone was okay.

**H-5-O**

Danny woke up with the sun in his eyes. Why was the sun in his eyes? He found himself laying on the beach. The sun was going down. Then he remembered where he was. He still didn't know why. Kono was just coming back from surfing. Something about her looked more natural when she was wet, Danny thought.

She grinned at his confused expression as she lay down her board and sat down.

"Did you have a nice rest?" she asked.

"Yeah," Danny replied. He decided not to make any sarcastic comments.

"Chin called earlier. He said he found some connections to the weird cult thing in Chicago and he'd make some calls. It's going to be sort of difficult to piece this together if the murderer followed them from there."

"I guess we can hope Steve's making headway with the witness, though that seems unlikely."

"Why?"

"From what the psychologist said when I was there, I don't think she's going to be very helpful."

"Well, leave it to Steve McGarrett to defy all odds."

Danny nodded. For a while neither of them said anything.

"I think you were right," Danny finally said, staring out at the ocean.

"What about?" Kono asked, looking over at him.

"It is kind of weird without him."

"We're doing okay, though, right?"

"Yeah, we're all right." Danny finally looked at Kono. There was something more to the question and the answer than either of them meant. But even then, they knew it.

"You know," Kono said, "there's been something I've been meaning to say for a long time, but I haven't got the chance."

Danny didn't reply, but waited for her to continue. However, she didn't get a chance, because just then a shrill voice called out,

"Daddy!"

Danny's head snapped in the direction of his daughter's voice. He scrambled to his feet and rushed over to her, much to his knee's annoyance.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, picking her up and hugging her.

"Mommy and Stan wanted to go for a walk," Grace replied, pointing to her mother and step-father a little way off. Then she wiggled out of Danny's arms and went to ask Rachel something. Danny waited, not making eye contact with Rachel or Stan. Soon, Grace came back with a big grin on her face.

"Mommy says I can stay with you till we go home."

"That's great, Monkey," Danny said, leading her back over to where Kono was sitting. "You remember Kono, right?"

"Sure." Grace sat down next to Kono. "Daddy, can we build a sandcastle?"

"Hey," Kono said, "why don't I help you build a castle and your daddy can supervise?"

"Okay." Grace grinned and moved off the towel.

Danny sat down to watch them, grateful that Kono alleviated his stress over the idea of actually touching the sand. It wasn't as if he didn't have some on him already.

They didn't have any buckets or shovels, so the two girls just built up towers with their hands. Grace would periodically ask Danny if they were doing it right. He would say things like their architectural genius was astounding. Grace and Kono would laugh and keep building. It was almost dark by the time Grace had to leave. Danny and Kono watched her go in silence. The beach was nearly empty.

"What was it you wanted to say?" Danny asked as they began shaking the sand out of their towels.

"Oh, it can wait," Kono said, pulling her clothes on over her swimsuit.

Danny gave her a confused look, but she seemed to be purposefully avoiding eye contact. He wondered if he should press.

"Well," he said, "if you've been waiting so long..." He left it at that. If she wanted to say anything she would.

Kono folded her towel and put it in her bag. "It's sort of embarrassing," she said, glad of the dim light. "But for a while now, I've kind of liked you."

"What? Liked me? You mean...?"

"Yes, what else could I mean?"

"Well, it's just surprising is all."

"Well, do you like me?"

"Oh, I thought that was pretty obvious."

"It wasn't. Chin said you did, but I couldn't tell."

"Chin?"

"Yeah, I told him because I wanted his opinion."

"What did he say?"

"He said he was sure you liked me and he thought you were a good choice."

Danny felt very warm. Not only did Kono like him, but Chin approved. Both unexpected happenings.

"So, uh." Danny rubbed the back of his head. "What now?"

Kono laughed nervously. "Maybe we should go have dinner?"

**H-5-O**

Steve called Danny at seven AM. McKenzie was still asleep, which was good because he wasn't supposed to be using the phone.

Danny's phone rang a few times before he answered.

"Whoever you are, go away."

"Hey, Danno. Good morning," Steve said.

"What? Why are you calling me?"

"Well, I guess I assumed you'd be up, since you're usually at work by eight."

"Oh, yeah, work... Well, what do you want?"

"I was just checking to see if everyone was okay."

"If everyone was okay?"

"Yes, why are you repeating me?"

"I don't know, you don't usually call me to see if everyone's okay. Is something wrong?"

"No, I've just been gone a while and I wanted to be sure things were going well."

"Everything's fine. The victims—"

"I don't want to know about the case," Steve interrupted. "I just want to know about all of you."

"We're fine. Why are you asking?"

"Just making sure. Hopefully we'll have something for you soon."

"Oh, the shrink is working?"

"No, I just have a knack for bringing back bad memories."

"Yeah, I know how that feels. Well, I'd love to chat, but as you've reminded me, I'm usually at work by eight."

"Yeah, I'll call you later. Oh, and don't call this number. It's supposed to be for emergencies."

"Emergencies." Danny hung up, and wondered if his life could get any weirder.


	5. A Dream of a Dream

**Chapter Five "A Dream of a Dream"**

**Thanks again for all the reviews. Hopefully, I'll keep updating regularly, but it might slow down. You have been warned.**

McKenzie slept late and since he'd been up since four, Steve managed to get to the end of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." He was beginning to see what McKenzie meant when she talked about the book.

Around ten he decided to make breakfast. McKenzie began to stir when the smell of bacon and coffee permeated the house. Just as she was waking, Steve heard a muffled word escape her lips.

"Mom."

"Well, I'm not your mother, but breakfast is ready," Steve said, as McKenzie sat up.

"It's the coffee," McKenzie said, stretching. "My mom always smells like coffee in the morning."

"I guess there are worse things."

McKenzie shuffled to the kitchen. "That was a joke," she observed.

"Wow, you're sharp." Steve smirked and set two plates on the table along with the coffee pot and two mugs. They sat down, but instead of reaching for her coffee, McKenzie gripped the edge of the table. Steve felt it shift and looked over at her.

"What is it?" he asked.

She didn't respond. Her wide eyes stared past him and her knuckles turned white.

"McKenzie." Steve raised his voice. "Listen to me." He reached across the table, but she stood up, knocking over her chair and dragging the table a few inches. The coffee spilled and McKenzie let go of the table, spreading her arms wide and taking long strides backward. Steve jumped up and rushed around the table. He tried to calm McKenzie by putting a hand on here shoulder, but she slapped him away. He was shocked by the force of the blow. Her hand went on to smash into the cabinets above the kitchen counter. Blood smeared across the white paint. Her arms continued flailing until Steve wrapped his arms around her and pinned her to his torso.

"Hey, hey, hey." He spoke quickly, but McKenzie didn't seem to be listening. She kept struggling and kicking. A few times she tried to bite him.

Steve knew then what was going on. McKenzie was having an attack, episode, whatever. Now that she remembered the shooting, her mind was completely open to the effects of post-traumatic stress.

Steve held on to her as she continued to thrash and then as she began screaming. At first it was a sort of choked cry, but it turned into a violent shout.

Steve wasn't sure how long it went on, but he knew if he let McKenzie go she would hurt herself and maybe even him. When she started to calm down, he began whispering calming words.

"It's okay," he said. "You're safe. It's okay."

After a few minutes, McKenzie's screams turned to sobs and she was no longer struggling, but clinging to Steve like she would die if she didn't.

**H-5-O**

Danny made his way into the office thinking of the night before. Dinner ended up being milkshakes and french fries because neither of them were presentable enough to go into a real restaurant. Then Danny and Kono had sat in a booth talking until about midnight at which time she took him home. Looking back on it, it was sort of lame. But even then, it was real.

Upon walking into the office, Danny saw that Chin and Kono were already there. Chin looked up at him with an expression Danny couldn't read. It wasn't until Chin had crossed the room and was actually hugging him, that Danny knew what was going on.

"Oh, okay," Danny said, not knowing what else to say.

Chin just grinned at him and went back to his desk.

"Just so we're clear," Danny said, going to his desk, "this isn't going to be a habit is it?"

"Don't worry about it," Chin said, and chuckled to himself.

"So, what do we know about this cult thing?" Danny said, sitting down.

"Not much," Chin said. "I did find one person willing to talk to us this afternoon via video conference. Says he's a priest of the order or something."

"So, what exactly are these people?" Kono asked.

"From what I can tell, their beliefs stem mostly from animism, that there are good spirits and bad spirits struggling for control of the universe. That's the dummy version anyway."

"Okay," Danny said, "we need to be careful when we talk to this guy not to offend him. We obviously have no clue what we're working with here, so we want to get as much information from him as possible."

"In the meantime, I have some bad news about Mrs. Lee," Chin said.

"What's that?"

"I can't find any communications between her and the victims regarding this cult and she was not forthcoming."

"Well, I could have told you that."

"What do we actually know about her?" Kono asked. "She's the wife of the unofficial leader, she supposedly worked closely with them in Chicago, but we have no record of that. Was she even on the payroll of their company?"

"Not as far as I can tell," Chin said, "though Chris Lee did make more than the others, and that could have been because of her contributions."

"But there's no way to know that," Danny said. "She seemed awful quick to say she'd never seen those e-mails, and yet she wanted me to believe she knew everything about her husband. That doesn't add up."

"She is certainly a person of interest," Kono said. "There's no reason to think she was involved in the shooting, but she might know who was."

"And is she afraid of them, or in league with them?"

"Unfortunately," Chin said, "I think we're going to have to ask her."

**H-5-O**

McKenzie's vision was blurry when she opened her eyes. She moved her hand to wipe away the moisture and something shifted underneath her. She discovered she was curled up in Steve's lap and he was sitting on the floor against the wall. He had one hand between her shoulder blades and his other arm was wrapped around her knees.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she said, but it was more of a question. Her left ear was against his heart and the steady beat calmed her otherwise frayed nerves.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

McKenzie felt a tear slide down her nose. "No."

"Okay, okay," Steve said. "I think your hand is bleeding."

McKenzie looked at her left hand which was resting next to her head. The first knuckles were all blood. Then it started to sting.

"I'm sorry," she said sitting up.

"Don't be," Steve said, helping her to her feet. "We can clean that up in no time."

"I don't know what just happened."

"It didn't just happen. We'd been sitting there for about half an hour. I don't know how long it was before that."

McKenzie was about to bring her hand up to her head, but Steve reached out and stopped her. It was her bloody hand. She noticed three long red marks on the inside of Steve's wrist.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

In answer, Steve turned her hand over and showed her the skin under her fingernails. Her other hand flew to her mouth and he had to resist a laugh.

"That's not the worst of it," he said. "Come on." He led her into the bathroom and found a first aid kit.

"Did I really hurt you?" She asked as he cleaned her hand and tapped up her knuckles.

He smirked. "Not really. Just the scratch and some bruises probably."

"I'm really sorry."

"Shut up." Steve shook his head.

"What?"

"You were having a... an attack or something. The state of my midsection is the last thing we need to be worried about... you do have very sharp elbows though."

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember coffee and then epic terror and then sitting on the floor."

"You started flailing around and I held you still until you stopped."

"And I elbowed you?"

"Amongst other things. Don't worry about it." Steve finished tapping her hand and let her go. He put the first aid kit away and they went back out to the kitchen to clean up the mess.

**H-5-O**

Danny really tried to be objective, but he did not like Jenny Lee. Maybe subconsciously, she reminded him of Rachel. He had considered the possibility. She was, if possible, even less helpful in the second conversation. Oh, she got teary, offended, and every other possible emotion, but didn't give them any useful information.

"You buying lunch, Brah?" Chin asked as the three of them left the hotel.

"Why am I buying lunch?" Danny replied, unlocking the car.

Chin glanced meaningfully at Kono. "We're celebrating."

Danny feigned smacking his forehead. "Right. Why don't you buy lunch then?"

Kono rolled her eyes as she slid into the passenger seat. "Why don't we go back to the office and actually work and have a real celebration when Steve comes back?"

"You're right," Chin said. "Our video conference is at one anyway."

"Sounds like a plan," Danny said. "Did I tell you Steve called me this morning?"

"He did?" Kono balked.

"Yeah, said he wanted to make sure we were all okay, which was weird, but he also said he had a knack fro bringing back bad memories, so we might get something from the witness after all."

"That's great," Chin said, "but why would he call?"

"I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. He said the phone was for emergencies."

"That's okay, we're not anyone," Kono said.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know," Kono said, grinning.

"It is seriously weird though," Chin said.

"Yeah, let's just keep that bit of information to ourselves," Danny said.

**H-5-O**

By noon the kitchen was clean. McKenzie had been quiet since the bathroom and Steve was starting to get concerned. She was a quiet person anyway, but she was staring blankly and moving slowly.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he put the last of the dishes away.

"I don't know," she said, scratching her forehead. Her arms hurt and she rolled up her sleeves. Dark purple bruises were starting to form from where Steve had held her. He watched as she stared at them intently.

"I'm sorry about that," he said.

"It's not your fault," she replied and rolled her sleeves back down. "It's mine."

"You don't want to do this to yourself."

"What?"

"Yes, there is a problem, and unfortunately we'll have to bring it to the shrink, but blaming yourself will only make this harder."

"I know I need to remember. I do. But I really don't want to."

"That's not the point."

"Yes it is! All these other things are just distractions. I have to remember, but it's so hard."

"McKenzie." Steve went over to her and held her chin to keep her from breaking eye contact. "You're never going to stop being afraid of him, you know why? Because he's a bad guy who murdered four people right in front of you. But that none of that is your fault; it's his. You don't want to remember it because it's so horrible that no one should have to. It's not fair that we're asking this of you."

McKenzie tried to nod, but found she couldn't move her head in Steve's vise-grip.

"I know he can't hurt me," she said, "but that doesn't make it any less terrifying."

"'He's not safe, but he is good'," Steve quoted.

McKenzie had to laugh. "You're that far?"

"I'm a fast reader."


	6. The Art of Breaking

**Chapter Six "The Art of Breaking"**

**Thanks for the faithful readership and encouraging comments. This chapter title comes from a Thousand Foot Krutch song; I've been listening to them a lot while writing this story. **

Danny rocked his pencil back and forth as Kono set up the webcam. He straightened his tie and Chin laughed at him.

"What?" Danny spread his arms.

Chin just shook his head and pointed at the screen. Kono was ready to turn on the camera. Danny gave her a short nod and there appeared the priest of the "Order of the Great Spirit." At least that's what he called himself. His name was Herman Burton. He was in his mid-sixties with white, receding hair. He looked deceptively normal.

"Greetings," he said, "what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Burton," Danny said, "recently some members of your... group were murdered here in Honolulu. I'm going to show you some pictures and I want you to tell me if you knew them."

Danny held up pictures of the four men and the priest gave a nod of recognition at each.

"This really is too terrible, Detective," he said. "The Spirits do not look lightly upon murder."

Danny managed to avoid rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, HPD doesn't like it much either. Now can you think of anyone who would want to hurt them?"

The priest seemed to be thinking for a moment. "Unfortunately," he said. "Yes. There were some disputes among our members just before these four left. I did not think it would come to this, though."

"Yeah?" Danny said. "Okay, who exactly were these disputers?"

"One in particular. Arnold Hadley. He has very radical views. He fought with Mr. Lee and his friends on multiple occasions."

Danny once again managed not to roll his eyes. "Okay, gather whatever information on him you can. You're local Police Department will get it to us. We'll find out if he's in Hawaii."

"May the Spirits guide you."

Danny hesitated. "Um, thank you, Mr. Burton."

Kono ended the video conference and Danny sighed.

"Please excuse me while I audibly roll my eyes," he said.

"At least he seems to know something," Chin said, shrugging.

"Maybe," Danny replied.

"Well, I'm going to see if I can find this Hadley," Kono said.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie's session with Dr. Eisner did not exactly go well. Steve sat in this time to fill in the details that she didn't remember. McKenzie made frequent stops and had to be reminded to breathe. When Eisner left, he gave her a small pill bottle with instructions. She glared at it as he walked out the door.

"As if I wanted to be that sort of person," she muttered.

Steve's head snapped in her direction. "What kind of person?" he asked, darkly.

"The sort who has to take medication to function."

"You know, I knew a lot of guys like you. They saw things they couldn't deal with and they haunted them. The medication is to keep you calm... because you cannot survive like this."

McKenzie tipped the bottle up and down, listening to the rattle it made. "But I won't take it unless it happens again," she insisted.

Steve nodded. He knew she would say that. He also knew _it_ would happen again. When he heard McKenzie say that she remembered the night before, he had been hopeful to get a description of the shooter, but now, he was thinking they were in for a very long road.

For the rest of the day, McKenzie was quiet and Steve wondered if it would be a good idea to ask her about the murders, but decided against it. He thought that very ironic because a week ago, he would have been pressing the matter forcefully.

_I didn't know _her_ a week ago_, he thought. _Now where did that come from?_

He brushed it off. McKenzie was certainly different, and he had dealt with his share of different people.

McKenzie went to bed early, saying she was tired from sleeping poorly on the couch. Steve frowned as she went to her room. He had been there from four on and she slept fine as far as he could tell. He considered that the dreams might be interrupting her normal cycle and she did have a huge rush of adrenaline that morning.

Steve stayed up late again reading and reached the end of _The Horse and His Boy_. He decided it was his favorite so far because of the battles and intrigues.

He went to bed around midnight, but was awakened an hour later by McKenzie. As always, he rushed to her room, prepared to shoot an attacker. There was none, of course and she seemed, if possible, more upset than the night before. Steve set his gun on the bedside table and flicked on the lamp.

"You okay?" he asked, holding one of her hands.

She nodded and a drop of sweat fell from her chin to his hand. "Sorry." She wiped it away with her other hand. "No, I'm not okay."

Her hands were clammy, so Steve took both of them in his and held them together. "What do you need?" he asked.

"Can—can you stay with me. Just until I fall asleep."

"Sure," Steve said. He turned the light off again, but not before McKenzie caught a glimpse of the angry purple marks on his stomach and lower ribs.

"I did hurt you," she said as he walked around the bed.

"It's nothing," he replied, sitting next to her. "Be gone in a couple of days."

"Okay, but I think it covers you pulling me in the ocean."

Steve smiled, but she couldn't see him. "Go to sleep," he said.

**H-5-O**

Kono found that Arnold Hadley was in fact in Hawaii and using the information Mr. Burton sent them, the team was able to justify a visit. Therein lay the difficulty. Mr. Hadley was not at his hotel, and no one seemed to have seen him. The manager said he usually came in late at night and left early in the morning.

"So do we wait for him?" Kono asked Danny as they stood outside the car.

Danny squinted in the sunlight. "I don't know. We have no idea when or if he'll be back, but if he's our killer and he's looking for Steve and the witness we need to find him quickly."

"Sounds like a stake out to me." Kono smirked. "I'll go get some food."

"Yeah, nothing with pineapple, okay?"

"Anything for you."

Danny smiled and slid into the front seat of the Camaro. It was sort of incredible that Kono probably meant what she said. The feeling was mutual.

While he was waiting, Danny called Chin to tell him their plans.

"We've decided to wait here to see if he comes back," he said. "Did you find anything else on him?"

"Not so far," Chin said. "He doesn't have a criminal record, not even a parking ticket."

"How about a library card?"

"All I've got is an Illinois driver's license. I can't even find employment records. It's like this guy never had a job or gone anywhere. The spirit cult thing has a record of his membership, but that's not very helpful."

"Maybe he _is_ a ghost."

"Who's a ghost?" Kono said, climbing into the car.

"No one," Danny replied. "I'll talk to you later, Chin." He hung up and looked over at Kono with an expectant expression.

She smiled and held up a paper sack. "Bacon cheeseburgers," she said. "Is that acceptable?"

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

"Yeah, but you can keep saying it." She handed him a burger and took out her own. "So what do I get for these french fries?"

"Mmm, how about my unswerving devotion?"

Kono shrugged. "Sounds good."

Danny laughed. "Okay, but that's as sentimental as I get."

"Not if Grace is around."

"Well, that's different. She's not a bacon cheeseburger."

"Neither am I."

"That is not what I meant."

"I know."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Because it's so easy."

"I suppose I've resigned myself to an eternity of teasing."

"That's good." Kono popped a fry in her mouth. "You dish out enough of it anyway."

"It's a defense mechanism."

"'Cause you're so persecuted." Kono put her feet up on the dashboard.

"Hey! Stop that." Danny waved his hand at her.

"What?" Kono put up her hands.

"It's the car. You're scuffing it."

Kono raised her eyebrows. "Really? Scuffing it?"

"Yes. Steve will freak out when he gets back, and he'll blame me."

"Then you can just tell him I did it."

"And allow you to incur his wrath? I don't think so. Feet down."

Kono laughed and her feet dropped back to the floor. "Thanks for looking out for me."

**H-5-O**

When McKenzie woke up there was something heavy laying across her side. She wasn't quite conscious enough to be concerned about it. Shifting slightly, she noticed that there was something hard and warm behind her that was attached to the heavy thing. Then it moved. No, it was breathing. McKenzie quickly climbed out from under it and out of bed. Turning back she saw the thing was in fact Steve and that he was sleeping soundly on to of the covers. In less than a second, McKenzie went through the events of the previous night in her mind and determined that Steve must have fallen asleep around the same time she did, or he thought she wasn't safe alone.

Those reasons were rational enough, but McKenzie couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable at the thought of sharing her bed with someone she hardly knew. That's what she told herself anyway.

_I asked for it_, she thought, taking another step away from the bed. _Desperate times and all that_.

She gathered some things and decided to take a shower so as not to be there when Steve woke up.

He woke when she turned on the water and came to the same conclusions she had. And he felt bad. It had been an accident; he never would have stayed on purpose. He might have agreed to sleep on the floor. He made a mental note to tell her that.

However, now Steve had to worry about things becoming awkward. He had the feeling McKenzie was beginning to get comfortable with him, to trust him. This might throw a wrench in that.

When McKenzie came out of the bathroom, Steve was up, dressed, and making breakfast again.

"Sorry about ruining it yesterday," McKenzie said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Steve looked up from the skillet. "You've gotta stop saying that," he said. "Just remember, I threw you in the ocean and we're even."

"Okay."

Steve noticed what they weren't talking about. "Look, about last night," he began, "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I should probably stop staying up so late."

"Don't mention it," McKenzie said quietly. "I asked you to stay."

"But that wasn't what you had in mind."

"No..."

"I'd sleep on the floor if you wanted."

"No, don't worry about it. I'll be fine alone... but thanks for offering. I don't think that's in your job description either."

"We've gone so far beyond that, I don't even remember what is... breakfast is ready."

They ate and enjoyed pleasant conversation for awhile and then Steve decided to take a shower after they did the dishes. The sound of the water and the bathroom fan drowned out the noises from the main room. So, when Steve came out, he wasn't expecting a fist to the face and the shock distracted him from blocking the second hit.

He fell to the floor and just before losing consciousness, he saw McKenzie staggering across the wood floor, waving her arms.


	7. Picking up the Pieces

**Chapter Seven "Picking up the Pieces" **

**Hello, all you lovely people. So, my weekly dose of Hawaii is about to become more special because it started snowing in my neck of the woods on Saturday. As of Monday, it was still snowing. What's more, we did not turn the heat on until it got below 57 degrees in the house on Sunday. My dad has this strange idea that we shouldn't turn the furnace on until December. **

**So, Hawaii here I come!**

McKenzie opened her eyes when the sharp pain in the right side of her face woke her. She shifted and noticed pain in her right forearm too. She sat up quickly and regretted it as blood rushed to her head and the prickly, itchy pain worsened.

Blinking several times, McKenzie found that she had been lying on the living room floor in front of the couch and the glass top of the coffee table was in shards under her. She lifted her right arm and felt a little woozy at the sight of blood running down it.

Then she heard a low groan, but couldn't see where it was coming from because there was a large recliner between her and the sound. She stood shakily and climbed over the chair to avoid the glass on the carpet. Her bare feet hit the hardwood floor on the other side and she saw Steve rolling over and pushing himself up with his hands. There was a copious amount of blood dripping from his nose.

He looked at McKenzie and then at the wreckage of the living room. His eyes came to rest on a large porcelain vase near the wall that had a large crack down one side of it.

He wiped his nose, but it didn't help.

"You need help?" Steve asked, pointing at McKenzie's face.

"Is that a question?" she replied hoarsely.

"Not really. Come on." He turned to the bathroom once again and glanced at the clock. He'd been out for a good half hour.

McKenzie sat on the toilet lid and looked up at her protector. "I'm sorry," she said. "Did I hit you with that vase?"

"I think so," Steve said absently as he tilted her head up to get at the glass.

"You think?"

"I didn't actually see it. Careful with that arm."

McKenzie noticed that she was pressing her right arm against the counter and pulled it away. She couldn't see to pick out the glass so she waited as Steve continued to go over her face.

"This doesn't look too bad," he said dropping the last piece of glass in the sink. "Your arm looks worse."

"And your nose."

"I'll get to that."

Steve cleaned the blood off McKenzie's face and bandaged the worse spots. It was fortunate none of the glass got in her eye. Then he gently took her arm and started looking over it. His brows furrowed and he winced.

"Don't move," he said. "I think there's some jammed in your wrist, probably from when you broke the table." He reached in the first aide kit for a pair of tweezers and McKenzie closed her eyes. It was sometime before all the glass was out of her arm and Steve had cleaned it and wrapped it up.

When he had finished, McKenzie stood up. "Okay, you're turn," she said.

"What?" Steve frowned.

"I think I broke your nose. It's still bleeding."

Surprisingly, Steve didn't argue, but sat down heavily and looked up with expectation. McKenzie cleaned away the blood and found some cotton balls to staunch the flow. Then she gingerly felt along the bridge of Steve's nose for the break. She found it and without warning, she took both hands and snapped it back into place.

Steve's vociferous reaction was to be expected. When he calmed down he glared at McKenzie. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to do that?" he demanded.

"I thought it would be easier if it were unexpected."

"I don't like surprises."

"Okay, I won't do it again."

"No, you won't." Steve opened the medicine cabinet and took out the little pill bottle. "Please," he said holding it out to McKenzie.

**H-5-O**

Danny and Kono waited expectantly outside Arnold Hadley's hotel room. They had no idea when or if he would even show up. Kono peeked out the window for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"What time did the manager say he usually got back?" she asked.

"I believe his exact wording was 'late'," Danny replied. He tried not to sound as impatient as he knew they both were.

Kono looked back at him sympathetically. "So assuming he does com back, what do we do?"

"Wait for him to go in. Then you go around the back in case he tries to run."

"Should we call for backup?"

Danny tried not to laugh as he said, "You are the backup."

Kono stared at him for a second until a small white car pulled into the hotel parking lot. Kono pulled up her binoculars and watched for a few seconds.

"It's him," she said, putting away the specs and getting ready to move in.

"Okay," Danny said, putting in his earpiece. "Let me know when you're in position."

"Got it." Kono got out of the car first and crossed the street.

When she started around the back of the building and the suspect went inside his first floor room, Danny followed. He got the feeling this wasn't the wisest thing to be doing. If Hadley was the shooter, he would have no qualms killing a couple of cops and he was most likely heavily armed.

"I'm in position," Kono's voice came over the radio.

"Copy that," Danny said, reaching the door. He knocked and listened. No sound approached the door, so he used the key he'd gotten from the manager and let himself in. The room was dark and it took a moment for Danny's eyes to adjust. Then he saw the suspect trying to climb out the window.  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Hadley," Danny said, raising his gun.

The man didn't listen, but dropped out of sight. Danny heard him hit the ground and then a sickening crunch. There were a few grunts and then Kono's voice saying, "Don't move."

Danny pulled back the curtains just in time to see her with her knee in Hadley's back cuffing him.

"Looks like I'm doing better than Steve," Danny said.

"How's that?" Kono asked, pulling Hadley to his feet.

"I got shot my first day as 'backup'."

"Oh, that's comforting."

Danny smirked. "I'll meet you at the car."

Danny collected what evidence he could and when he got back outside, Kono had just gotten Hadley into the backseat of the car.

"He'll be nice and snug in there," she said, closing the door and opening the trunk for Danny.

"We don't usually transport suspects in the Camaro," he said.

"Yeah. What have you got?"

"Riffle and ammo. We'll have ballistics check them out when we get back."

"I called Chin to come look over the room some more so we can interrogate him."

"Good. Hopefully we get something from the witness soon. Enough to hold this guy anyway."

**H-5-O**

Steve left McKenzie alone in the bathroom and went out to asses the damage. He picked up the bigger pieces of glass and got out the vacuum cleaner for the rest. Other than that there was only the cracked vase to discard.

It was only when Steve finished cleaning the living room and sat down that he realized how much his head hurt and that McKenzie was still in the bathroom. In his mind, he got up to go find out what was taking so long, but his head protested any movement. Now that there was no perceivable danger, the effects of having a vase wielded by an adrenaline filled individual bashed into his face twice were catching up with him. He hoped resting for a few minutes would help.

McKenzie finally came out of the bathroom looking pale. She had pulled her hair back from her face with a narrow headband and the dark scratches stood out against her skin.

"You okay," Steve asked, trying not to move his head.

"I thought I might throw up," she replied. "But I didn't, so I took the pills."

"That was probably because of the adrenaline. You should be fine in a couple of minutes."

"And you?" McKenzie sat in the recliner.

"My head hurts, but that's all."

"All? I didn't give you a concussion or anything?"

"Let's hope not."

"I'm really sorry. I know I keep saying it, but I don't know what else to say."

"Look, I'll forget about it if you don't tell anyone."

"That I broke your nose? Okay. Is it that embarrassing?"

Steve rubbed his forehead. "More the fact that you got the drop on me."

"Well, I didn't mean to."

"Exactly. Which is why I'll forget it if you will."

"Deal."

"And no more apologizing?"

"I'll try."

"'Try' isn't good enough."

"Okay. I will make a conscious effort never to need to apologize to you again."

"That's hardly a promise."

"Well, that's the best I can do."

"Fine."

"Sometimes you are a child."

Steve reached under the coffee table and picked up McKenzie's book from where it had fallen. "Isn't that why you wanted me to read this?" He set it on the wood frame of the table.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," McKenzie said fiddling with the edge of the bandage on her arm.

Steve smirked and leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes.

"There's something else, though," McKenzie said.

"What's that?"

"About the shooting. I'm sure you want to know what I remember."

Steve nodded slowly, his eyes still closed. "When you're ready."

**H-5-O**

Arnold Hadley immediately demanded a lawyer. The man made Danny nervous. He was bigger than Danny and Kono put together and he looked just like the sort of person who would kill four people in public in broad daylight. But they needed proof.

Danny and Kono stood outside the interrogation room waiting for Hadley's lawyer.

"Ballistics is going to take too long," Kono said. "We need something else to hold him on."

"Which means either Steve or Chin needs to call right now," Danny said. "Or this guy's gonna disappear."

"He wasn't that hard to find the first time. Almost like he wasn't trying to hide. But if it was common knowledge that he argued with our vics, he'd have to know he'd be a suspect. Why wouldn't he try to get out of Hawaii?"

"Maybe the kind of guy who murders four people in front of God and everyone is confident enough to think we won't be able to find anything on him. He might have been trying to divert suspicion as well."

"Didn't work. I'm suspicious."

"You and me both, but that's not going to do us any good."

The lawyer arrived. They had twenty-four hours.

**H-5-O**

"Ever since that day on the beach," McKenzie began, "I've remembered more and more. But I haven't been able to think about it. Not enough to explain it. I don't know if the drugs are working or what, but I feel like I can do it now. I can tell you everything."

"Everything?" Steve asked, calmly. His eyes were still closed.

"Everything." McKenzie nodded vigorously. "I'd just taken the card key from the receptionist. I picked up my bags and turned away from the desk. He was there, standing up at the top of those stairs. He didn't see me at first. He shot all four of them. Three shots each. Then he looked up. Everyone else was looking at the bodies, but I was watching him. He met my eyes. Then he turned and walked out... that's the short version."

"Can you remember what he looked like?" Steve asked, finally sitting up and opening his eyes.

"I do. I drew a picture."

"A picture?"

McKenzie got up and went to her room. A couple of seconds later, she came back with a sketchbook. She sat next to Steve and opened it.

"Here," she said. "I'm not sure if I got his eyes just right, but they were dark brown and his skin was sort of olive toned."

"You remember all this?" Steve asked.

"I hear that traumatic memories are especially vivid."

"Who told you that?"

"Dr. Eisner. He says lots of stuff like that."

"Do you have a cell phone?"

"I'm not supposed to."

"But do you?"

"It's off."

"Go get it. Does it take pictures?"

"Yeah." McKenzie went back into her room and got the contraband item. She handed it to Steve and he laid the open book on the couch. He took several pictures and then he dialed Danny.

"Hey, Danno," he said.

Danny could hear the smile in Steve's voice. "What are you so happy about and why are you calling me again?"

"I'm sending you some pictures. McKenzie says this is what the shooter looks like."

There was a brief pause. "Did you draw these?"

"Are you kidding? I can't draw. It was her."

"The witness?"

"I think that's what I just said."

"Actually your poor grammar did not make that clear, but this picture is accurate?"

"As far as she knows."

"Steve, this is Arnold Hadley. We have him in custody right now. He had a weapon of the same caliber used in the murders and he's already lawyer-ed up."

"So that's it?"

"Can't be that easy. I have a feeling he's gonna find a way out of this. We have to nail him to the wall."

"Then do it. I think McKenzie's ready to testify to the whole thing. If you send us an actual picture of him, she could confirm that it's him."

"Steve, this drawing looks exactly like him. Exactly. It's creepy in fact."

"She is a little creepy—ow!"

"And she's standing right there?"

"Yeah. If you need anything else you can call this number."

"Are you even supposed to have a cell phone?"

"It's hers."

"That's not an answer."

"I have complete authority to do whatever the hell I want. Besides, now that you have the guy we can probably let McKenzie go home."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll let you know how the interrogation goes."

"Wish I were there."

"I know. I think you'd like this guy."

"Well, don't have too much fun without me."

"I never have fun without you. Now, get off the phone."

Steve hung up and rubber his shoulder where McKenzie had punched him.

"I'm creepy huh?" she asked.

"I was exaggerating."

"Uh huh." She picked up her sketchbook and snatched her phone. "So I get to go home soon?"

"Possibly. But how would you feel about lunch?"

"Honestly, I'm starving."

"That's not hard to believe. For a little person, you do eat a lot."

"What does that mean?"

"What are you, five-two?"

"Five-three."

"Oh, that's different."

"Shut up, tall man."


	8. Break Out

**Chapter Eight "Break Out"**

The interrogation didn't exactly go well. Hadley remained stoic and his lawyer never budged an inch.

"Mr. Hadley," Danny finally said, "you are being charged with four counts of first degree murder, attempted murder, evading arrest, and illegal weapons possession. Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

The lawyer was about to say something when Hadley held up his hand. "I have nothing to say to you," he said. Then he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

Well, Danny could make do without a confession. McKenzie's drawing was enough and there was no way he was telling Hadley about that. He'd already tried to kill her once; no use aggravating him. So, Danny had him sent to temporary lock-up and called Chin to see how things were coming.

"Looks like you found the only evidence in the hotel room," Chin said. "I'm gonna drop by the lab and see if they have anything on the weapon you found."

"I'm sure they will eventually," Danny said. "Steve sent a picture that the witness drew of the shooter and it looks exactly like Hadley."

"You didn't tell him that?"

"No way. I mean, I know we have the guy, but something about him tells me this is far from over."

"He sounds lovely."

"Yeah, he's a joy. So, you'll be back once you're done."

"Yep, I'm on my way to the lab now."

"You're on the phone on your motorcycle?"

"No... I mean, I'm leaving the hotel."

"Just checking. We wouldn't want you falling in a ditch somewhere."

"Yeah, not if I'm buying you dinner this weekend."

"You are?"

"It was your idea, remember?"

"Well, not exactly." Danny looked out his office window to where Kono was sitting behind a computer, trying to get more information on Hadley.

"Anyway, congratulations are in order. So don't make plans Saturday night."

"You do know we haven't even been on a date yet?"

"What about the afternoon at the beach and the milkshakes?"

"I didn't think that counted."

"It does. I'll see you later."

Danny hung up and sat watching Kono a little while longer before going out to see if he could help.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie's daily meeting with Dr. Eisner went about as usual. She genuinely liked him, but it seemed like the worst hour of the day to her. It would have comforted her to know that Steve felt the same way. She told Eisner all she could remember of the last day and about remembering the shooting. She left out details as he had no use for them, and she did not want to go over them again. Eisner suggested coping strategies, but McKenzie thought that Steve's constant presence was more help than breathing exercises would be. She was beginning to feel more and more comfortable with her scary protector and she confided this to Dr. Eisner while Steve was trying to find a piece of plywood to substitute for the coffee table.

Eisner pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "How would you describe your relationship with Commander McGarrett?"he asked.

McKenzie stared at him for a second. "Uh... I don't know," she said. "I guess he makes me feel safe when I'm afraid. Not just because he's big and has a gun, though that helps."

"That's good. It's important to have someone you can rely on. Yet, I am concerned about how that will shift when you return to your normal life. How will you deal with living alone?"

McKenzie exhaled through her teeth. "I'm not sure. I'll learn to take care of myself."

"It's something you should consider anyway."

"Thanks."

They got up from the table and said their goodbyes. Dr. Eisner said he would make his visits every other day from then on. McKenzie was more than happy with that arrangement. When Steve came back inside he had found an appropriate board and McKenzie told him about the session while he "installed" it.

"I'm glad I don't scare you anymore," Steve said.

"You never scared me."

"Yes I did. In the car."

"Oh... well it was short lived."

"Anyway, it was counterproductive."

"Um, yeah. That's totally what I meant."

"What? Oh, I see."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do. You can't help but build relationships in circumstances like this. I get it."

McKenzie smiled and settled into her corner of the couch. She picked up her book from the new coffee table. "How's your head?"

"Better." Steve unconsciously rubbed his forehead.

"Where did you leave off?"

"What?"

McKenzie held up the book.

"Oh, I finished the... third book."

McKenzie's eyes widened and she opened to _Prince Caspian_.

"You're gonna read to me?"

"Yes. I like this one and you have a headache."

Steve smirked and got comfortable in his own corner.

"'Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy...'."

**H-5-O**

It was only a few minutes after Danny's conversation with Chin that an officer came running into 5-0 HQ.

"Detective Williams!" he said breathlessly.

"What's going on?" Danny asked, looking him up and down.

"The suspect has escaped."

"What?"

"He overpowered the guard, took his gun, and got away. The ambulance just got here; it doesn't look good."

"Wait, so my suspect just walked out of here?"

"Or ran. There are about ten officers out looking for him."

Danny looked over at Kono. "Call Chin and meet me at the car." He turned back to the officer. "Do you have any other useful information?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. They just sent me to inform you. People are going over the security tapes now."

"Okay, I want everything they have sent to me. If anything immediately relevant comes up tell them to call me. And the guard is unconscious?"

"Yes. I don't know, but I don't think he'll make it."

"All right. Go."

Once the young officer was out of the room, Danny cursed. He dialed the last number he had for Steve as he headed out to the car.

"Chin's not answering," Kono said as Danny climbed into the passenger seat.

"Neither is Steve," Danny said. "Or whoever."

"Where do you think he would go?"

"Try the lab first. He might try to destroy the evidence. We have no reason to suspect he knows where the witness is."

"_We_ don't know where the witness is," Kono said, pulling out onto the street.

"Well, I could find out if her phone's on."

"Then so could Hadley."

"Maybe, but he still doesn't know she gave us his description. Chin didn't answer his phone, so he might need help. Anyway, if Hadley does know where the witness is, Steve can handle him."

"True."

Danny noticed a slight increase in the speed of the car as Kono's expression hardened. She was worried about her cousin and Danny couldn't blame her. He was worried too.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie read until her voice got tired and Steve suggested they get some fresh air. He had been feeling a bit jumpy from lack of activity. There was a trail close to the house that went up to a cliff overlooking the ocean and they both thought it looked promising.

For a while they walked in silence, enjoying the nice day and the view. Sometimes McKenzie would ask Steve what certain plants were. Sometimes, he knew the answer; sometimes he didn't.

They were about halfway up when McKenzie decided to stop to catch her breath and tighten her shoelaces. She put her right foot up against a fallen log and undid the laces. She then proceeded to tug on them and the log shifted under her weight and dropped out of sight. McKenzie fell forward, suddenly seeing a deep ravine below her. She didn't have time to scream before the sensation of weightlessness ended and she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt herself moving backward. She felt her feet touch solid ground and the arms slipped away. She turned around to see Steve standing there, his face a mask of concern.

Exhaling deeply, she said, "Thanks."

Steve gave a sort nod and took a step back.

McKenzie knelt on the path and finished tying her shoes.

"Do you want to keep going?" Steve asked.

She looked up at him, her hair falling in her eyes. "Sure." She stood up and Steve seemed satisfied. He turned and continued up the path and McKenzie followed. As she watched his back, she thought of what she had told Dr. Eisner earlier. Just being near Steve made her feel safe and protected and not without good reason. But there was the little matter of going back to normalcy after all this and she wondered how she would feel when he wasn't always there. McKenzie was not a particularly nervous person and did not tend to worry about things beyond her control, but now that she actually had something to be afraid of, she wondered if she would ever feel quite as safe on her own.

_It's your mental problems talking_, she thought.

And until that stopped, she would continue to view Steve as her personal security blanket, bodyguard, burglar alarm, nightlight, and safety net. She wasn't sure if this was healthy, but at the time, couldn't be bothered to care.

**H-5-O**

Chin still wasn't answering his cell phone, but when Kono parked in front of the lab, his bike was right there. To be fair, Chin was a little preoccupied inside. He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of his cousin's voice calling his name. It took a second for him to remember what had happened and call out for help.

Danny and Kono came rushing into the room sideways. Or so Chin thought until he remember he was laying on the floor. Kono's eyes became nearly circular when she saw him and Danny immediately called for an ambulance.

Meanwhile, Kono turned Chin over onto his back so she could look at the ugly bullet wound in his right shoulder. At first all she could see was blood and it darkened at the center of the wound. She put her left palm over her right and applied pressure.

Chin was still a bit too dazed to register that he was in pain, but it didn't last long. Coming completely back to reality, he half sat up and cried out.

"Whoa," Danny said, helping Kono return Chin to the floor. "Calm down there. Are you hurt anywhere else."

"No," Chin answered through gritted teeth. "I barely got a shot off before he hit me."

Danny noted Chin's sidearm laying nearby. "Okay, we'll get to that."

"Danny, he took the evidence and shot the lab techs. He didn't see me at first though."

Danny and Kono looked to where two bodies were laying on the other side of a steel table. The blood pools around them told Danny they were dead already, but he checked just in case. Coming back to Chin and Kono, he heard sirens nearing them.

"Okay," he said, "Kono, you go with him to the hospital and I'll stay here and see what I can find. I'll bring the car later."

"What about my bike?" Chin asked.

Danny was amused that he would think of that. "I'll have an officer drop it off at your place."

"Tell 'em to be careful with it." Chin's speech was slowing.

"Hey," Kono said, "stay with me cos."

Danny could hear the strain in her voice. He knew Chin was more like a brother than a cousin to her and seeing him hurt must have rattled her.

The EMTs arrived and took over. Danny and Kono stood back to let them work. As they followed Chin outside, Danny placed a reassuring hand on Kono's shoulder.

"He'll be okay," Danny said.

"I know," Kono replied. "I'll be fine."

"All right. you want me to bring you some clean clothes?"

Kono looked down at the blood on her knees from kneeling on the floor and on her shirt from her hands. "Yeah," she said, digging in her pocket. "Here are my keys. Thanks."

Danny took the keys, ignoring the blood smeared on them. "I'll see you soon."

She nodded and jumped in the back of the ambulance with Chin. "Be careful, Danny," she called just before the doors closed.

Danny hadn't exactly thought about it. Arnold Hadley was out there somewhere, armed and dangerous.


	9. Butterflies and Thunderheads

**Chapter Nine "Butterflies and Thunderheads"**

**I realized that I updated the last chapter without even a note to those of you who reviewed chapter seven. Once again, you are awesome and I love you. I really appreciate the comments from everyone. Finally, write more fanfiction! Those of you reading this who write for Hawaii Five-0, write more. I realize I have an addiction, but it would be ever-so-nice if you would feed it. **

**And just a note of clarification: I am doing my senior project on The Chronicles of Narnia, so it's permeating everything in my life and it's working strange metaphors into this story. I also have a strange obsession with C.S. (Jack) Lewis. **

McKenzie spread her arms, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back. She could feel the grass around her ankles whipping about in the breeze, her hair blowing away from her face, and a slight sting on the open cuts on her face. The smell of the ocean was just like she remembered from home, only warmer. And the breeze was warmer; the light was warmer. Hawaii was simply warmer. There was a metaphor in there somewhere and McKenzie enjoyed that secret.

She heard a low laugh from her left. She opened her eyes and narrowed them in that direction.

"Is there something you wanted to say?" she asked.

Steve shook his head and stared out at the ocean. "You're very, I don't know, pensive."

"And that's amusing to you?"

Steve glanced over at her. "You're also very amusing."

McKenzie grinned and looked back out at the sea. "I was making comparisons... and metaphors."

"And...?"

"Hawaii is warm."

Steve didn't ask what she meant. He had some idea. "So you're glad you came?"

"There isn't a word for how I feel right now."

"Oh, that again. Let me tell you, you've been reading too much of this Jack Lewis character."

"Jack?" McKenzie gave Steve an incredulous look.

"I looked him up on the internet. Jack doesn't sound so pretentious."

"Nice to see you two are getting along."

"Seeing that he's dead and all."

"Yeah." McKenzie giggled.

They both turned back to the ocean and remained silent for a few minutes. After being cooped up in a very small house for the better part of five days, they were enjoying the small freedom of standing on a cliff in the middle of nowhere.

McKenzie didn't realize she had closed her eyes again until something touched her outstretched arm. She gasped and her eyes flew open as she turned to see Steve had mysteriously appeared on her right and was holding her elbow.

"How did you get there?" she asked.

"I'm like a cat. Here, I need to fix this." He was adjusting the bandage around her wrist.

"You couldn't have said something?"

"Thought you weren't afraid of me anymore."

"Well, that's one thing. Sneaking up on someone is just not nice."

"I wasn't sneaking. I didn't want to bother you. There." Steve released her arm and looked her in the eye.

The tape was admittedly more comfortable. McKenzie stared up at Steve for a long moment, a strange curiosity coming over her.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked with a mischievous light in his eyes.

"Other than that nasty bruise? No."

"I thought we weren't talking about that."

"You asked."

"You were staring."

She was still staring; so was he.

**H-5-O**

Kono sat in the ER waiting room, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. Chin had stayed conscious on the ride there which was unfortunate for him, but comforting to Kono. The fact that everything was going to be fine did not detract from the sick feeling in her stomach. This murderer was still on the loose, shooting whomever got in his way. They were all in danger now.

Kono had called the family, but no one showed up. She found it hard to believe that they hated Chin so much. The trouble was, she did believe it. She had seen how he was treated by everyone and she knew now that she was the only one in his corner.

_And I'm not giving up_, she said to herself.

Kono recalled how Chin had introduced himself to Grace at the football game a few months ago: "Uncle Chin." And then how they had decided to call their team Five-O. Steve had said it was a way to make his family feel like they belonged. Well, in a way it still was. It was a way to include these four outcasts in a family when they had no one else.

About an hour after they arrived at the ER, Danny came in. He had set everyone to work going over the crime scene and made sure that Chin's bike was delivered safely. He found Kono staring off into space, so much that she didn't notice him at first. So, he sat beside her and waited for her to respond.

Finally, she turned her head and looked at him. "I think he's gonna be okay," she said, still playing with her hair.

Danny put his arm around her shoulders. "Of course he is," he said.

"Have you been able to call Steve yet?"

"Oh, I haven't tried." Danny pulled out his phone and hit redial. Once again, he heard the vaguely familiar female voice say: "hey, you've reached McKenzie. Leave a message, or you'll never hear from me again."

"This message is for Steve, tell him to call me back as soon as he can, please." Danny hung up and looked back at Kono. "Have you heard anything?"

"No. They didn't seem too worried when we got here though, and Chin was still awake."

"I told you he'd be fine."

"That's not what concerns me."

Danny searched her face for some clue as to what she meant. "What does then?" he finally asked.

"That there is a guy out there who's crazy enough to kill four people in broad daylight, and then proceed to shoot two lab techs and a cop five days later. I'm worried about what would happen to this family if we lost someone."

Danny tightened his grip around Kono and kissed the side of her hair. "Nothing's gonna happen," he said. "We're gonna catch this SOB and he won't be able to hurt anyone. And let me tell you something else." He forced her to look him in the eye. "Nothing, nothing is going to tear this family apart. We Five-Os have to stick together."

Kono smiled slightly. "You always know just what to say," she whispered. Then she kissed him lightly and leaned against his shoulder to wait.

**H-5-O**

Steve and McKenzie waited for the awkwardness to come, but it never did. Somehow each felt they could stare into the other's eyes indefinitely.

Steve reached out and put a hand on McKenzie's shoulder, turning her slightly to her right.

"Look at that," he said, pointing to the horizon.

Her eyes widened and she inhaled quickly. The western sky was ablaze with the setting sunlight ricocheting off thunderheads.

"Looks like we're gonna have a storm," Steve said.

McKenzie could hear the grin in his voice, but couldn't take her eyes off the massing clouds. Blood red contrasted with charcoal black, and golden beams shot up into the deep blue sky beyond.

"Does it always look like that," McKenzie asked.

"No," Steve said. "It never looks the same."

"One summer, I was on the Washington/Idaho border. Hell's Canyon. It reminds me of that."

"What, you don't have colorful sunsets in Oregon?"

"No, never... yes we do, just not as much. It rains all the time, remember?"

"Yeah, how do you put up with that?"

"We Oregonians are depressed all the time." McKenzie looked very serious, so Steve wondered for a second. Then she laughed. "It's hot in the summer. And we have great beaches. I spent most of my spring breaks in Brookings."

Steve was silent for a moment, staring at the sky." If we want to get back before the downpour, we should go," he said. "Not that I'd mind getting wet, but we don't want you slipping in the mud and falling off the face of the earth."

"In my defense, that log saw me coming."

They headed back down the trail and the air started to smell damp. McKenzie couldn't help feeling excited about the storm. The two of them chatted amicably on their way home and it was decided that McKenzie would be making dinner; Steve would be doing the dishes.

**H-5-O**

Danny finally decided to call the first number he had for Steve, even though he'd been told not to. The first thing he heard when Steve picked up the phone was a female voice singing loudly and some kind of sizzling.

"What's going on over there?" he asked.

"McKenzie's making dinner," Steve replied as if it were obvious.

"And giving a concert?"

There was a brief pause. "Yes."

"Okay, well, I've been trying to call you since about two, but you must have had better things to do."

"We went for a walk."

"A walk?"

"Yes, there's nothing to do here and I'm bored. What did you want?"

"Steve, the suspect escaped."

"Escaped? What do you mean 'escaped'."

"I mean mortally wounded a guard, stole his gun, and ran out the door. But there's more."

"How could there be more?"

"Chin was going to visit the lab when our friend decided to retrieve his possessions. He killed two lab techs and a security guard and Chin has a rather ugly wound on his shoulder. He'll be okay in a couple weeks we hear."

Steve didn't reply for a long time and when he did it wasn't printable. The background singing stopped. Danny waited a couple of seconds before going on.

"Kono and I are at the hospital now. We have every available officer on this. You don't need to worry. Hadley doesn't know the witness gave us a description."

"Neither does he know that she couldn't remember. He probably thinks she gave us a description right off."

"He doesn't know where you are anyway. And now his picture is all over the island. He won't be able to get away."

"Yeah... you have no idea how much I want to get my hands on that SOB now."

"Actually, I do... wait, you don't know about that." Danny looked over to where Kono was sitting, staring at the opposite wall.

"What?"

Danny stood up and walked across the room, stopping by a window. "Well, it's nothing, I mean, Chin's my friend and... you know what, never mind."

"Danny, what's going on?"

"It's Kono."

"What about her?"

"Oh, come on, man, you are not that dense."

"Okay. You like her."

"And apparently, Chin knew that and then the strange hugging started."

"Wait, did I miss something?"

"You miss a lot of things."

"Funny, Danno. Are you and Kono dating?"

"I think the future tense would be more appropriate there."

"If you don't stop correcting my grammar... Seriously, what's going on?"

"We've sort of been busy trying to catch a murderer and haven't had much time to define it yet."

"Right. I'm sure I'm very happy for you, but don't let it get in the way."

"I figure since this team is like a family already not much would change."

"See now you're getting with the program."

"Yeah, whatever. Go protect your witness."

"Bye, Danno."

**H-5-O**

When Steve hung up the phone, McKenzie was humming softly again. She appeared to be immersed in her cooking, but he knew she had been listening.

"What did you hear?" he asked.

McKenzie looked up briefly. "Something about escaping and you were rather upset. Then there was some discussion about your coworkers dating or something. I curious what the problem with your grammar was; I didn't hear anything. Well, there was that one thing, but it was technically proper grammar."

"He wanted me to use future tense."

"Ah."

"That smells good. What is it?"

McKenzie stood protectively in front of the stove as Steve came closer. She waved her hands at him and said, "not yet. Go set the table or something."

When dinner was ready they ate in silence for a while. McKenzie was trying to figure out how to ask if the killer was on the loose again. She couldn't imagine who else could have escaped. At least, no on Steve would be so upset about. There was no other explanation, but McKenzie didn't like to assume.

"So, is he really out?" she finally asked.

Steve looked up from his plate. "Who?"

McKenzie sighed. "You know who."

"Yes."

"Does he know where we are?"

"No. If he did, he would have been here by now."

"What makes you so sure?"

"His behavior up to this point. He escaped from custody and went straight to steal the evidence. If he knew we were here, he would have come after that. He's not the sort to leave loose ends."

McKenzie picked at her food. "Once again, you manage to fill me with confidence."

"I'm sorry if I'm not very tactful after this psycho just shot one of mine."

"What?"

"He killed two lab techs and a security guard and injured one of my team."

"Will they be okay?"

"Yeah... it could have been a lot worse."

McKenzie noticed that Steve was in a mood for the rest of the evening. And from this she concluded that as tough as he was, he loved his friends. He talked about them all the time, especially Danny. From what McKenzie could gather, they were more of a family than coworkers. She couldn't imagine someone she loved getting hurt like that. Even if he would be okay, the fact that the man who did it was lurking out there somewhere made her shiver when she thought about it.


	10. Cloudburst

**Chapter Ten "The Cloudburst"**

**Thanks for all the great reviews!**

Chin was discharged from the hospital early that evening with his arm in a sling. The doctor told him he would be able to use his hand just fine, but he shouldn't move his shoulder. So, driving was out of the question along with hunting for suspects and other fun things.

Danny and Kono took Chin back to his house and he ordered pizza. Half with pineapple, half without.

"This is gonna have to count for taking you two out to dinner," Chin said as they were eating.

Kono smiled. "I think everyone can live with that."

"Just so long as you two keep your icky pineapple to yourselves," Danny said, in all seriousness.

"You can't have _my_ pizza," Chin said.

Kono nudged his good arm. "Our pizza," she said between bites.

"You share with the haole." Chin nodded at Danny.

"You should have gotten two pizzas," Danny said, taking another piece.

"Save room for ice cream."

"Do you know how much I eat?"

Chin looked between Danny and Kono. "Yeah. You were made for each other."

"I think he's calling us fat," Danny said, looking over at Kono.

Chin laughed and stood up, picking up the now empty pizza box.

"Cos', I can do that," Kono said.

"Thanks, Kono," Chin replied, "but I have two arms and one of them is still in pretty good shape if I do say so myself." Chin cleaned up after dinner and got a carton of ice cream out of the freezer. "Someone else is going to have to do this part though," he said, holding up the scoop.

"I'll do it," Danny said, getting up from the floor.

"And I'll pick out a movie," Kono said, going over to the shelf.

Once everyone had their ice cream and they were safely situated on the couch, Kono picked up the TV remote and pressed play.

"We're watching The Incredibles?" Danny asked, giving her a curious look.

She nodded. "Chin likes Pixar movies and I thought we could compare Mr. Incredible to Steve since he's not here."

Danny grinned. "Sounds like fun."

**H-5-O**

The sensation of falling always woke Steve. Usually it wasn't someone else falling, though. He shot up in bed, breathing hard and sweating. It was three AM and Steve couldn't go back to sleep. But he wasn't ready to think about his dream. He didn't have to since there was a soft tapping at his door. It opened a second later and McKenzie's face appeared. The rest of her soon followed, draped in a blanket.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

It took Steve a second to register what she was talking about. "Yeah," he said. "What are you doing up?"

She came over and sat next to him. "I heard you talking in your sleep. You seemed upset."

The color drained from Steve's face and he was glad it was too dark for McKenzie to see. "What did you hear?" he asked.

"I didn't understand any of it, except I think you called for help. Were you dreaming?"

"Yeah." Steve leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but can I stay here for a while? I can't sleep."

Steve got out of bed and pulled on a t shirt. "I won't be going back to sleep," he said. "But you can stay with me if you want."

"Was it that bad?" McKenzie asked as she crawled under the covers.

"No," he said, coming back and sitting next to her. "I just haven't been sleeping much lately."

"Why not?"

"Go to sleep. I'm the one who worries, not you."

McKenzie pulled the covers up around her ears. "You don't have to."

Steve ruffled her hair gently and smirked ironically. "Yeah. I do."

**H-5-O**

Chin fell asleep halfway through the movie, probably due to the pain medication he was on. By the time it was over, Kono was starting to nod.

"Hey," Danny said, nudging her. "I have to go home. I have Grace in the morning."

"Okay," Kono said, sitting up and stretching. "I'm gonna stay here for a couple of days probably. Just in case Chin needs anything."

"Okay. You have a car?"

"I can use Chin's bike if I need anything. If you and Grace want to come by tomorrow, that's fine."

"Speaking of that, I'm still trying to figure out how to tell her about us."

"You could just ask her what she thinks."

"Well I already know she likes you. I just... I don't know, I've never had to deal with this before."

"What? Telling your daughter you have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"I can't help you there."

They got up and headed for the door. Chin stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. At the door, they said goodnight.

"Give me a call if you need anything, okay?" Danny said.

"Sure," Kono replied, smiling. "Don't worry; me and Chin are used to looking after each other." She leaned out the door and gave Danny a kiss.

He smiled as they separated and said, "Goodnight, Kono."

"Goodnight, Danny."

**H-5-O**

McKenzie didn't snore or talk in her sleep or even move more than to breathe. Except for that steady sound, Steve might have forgotten she was there. He sat with his back to the headboard and had McKenzie's blanket over his legs. He stared into the dark, thinking about his dream. Steve didn't usually spend much time focusing on his dreams, but nothing about the last five days had been normal.

He had dreamed that McKenzie was hanging onto his neck, smiling. He was holding her off the ground, if there were any ground; he couldn't tell. Then as he tried to move closer to her, she started to fall away. She slipped out of his hands and the rest of the dream consisted of a succession of falls. Always, McKenzie was falling out of his reach.

Steve wasn't sure what it meant. He was so sure he could protect her if Hadley found them, so why would he dream of not being able to help her? Why would he be scared of that?

Not scared; rationally concerned.

Steve looked down at McKenzie, almost as if making sure she was still there. She had her hands balled into fists under her chin, keeping the blankets framing her face. She looked excessively comfortable. Steve slid down so that he was laying on his back facing her.

The storm had become very noisy outside, but McKenzie never stirred. Steve wondered how she could sleep so soundly in spite of everything that was going on. He determined that the common denominator was himself. Initially, he had assumed that was a good thing, but he was beginning to question if perhaps it meant something more to him than he was yet willing to admit. He was used to people having to trust him, but not having those same people embrace the concept wholeheartedly. From what McKenzie had told him of her conversation with Dr. Eisner, Steve thought that she much more than trusted him. This was an assumption he did not want to make. It made things too complicated. What made matters worse was that he liked her trusting him. He liked being responsible for her. He did not want to know what that meant. He had to keep her alive; beyond that, he did not want to be concerned.

It was seven AM when Steve realized that he had been watching McKenzie sleep since three. In any other circumstance, he would have considered that creepy.

**H-5-O**

Grace arrived at exactly nine AM. Unfortunately, a rather unwelcome guest arrived fifteen minutes later. Danny and Grace had enjoyed their waffles and were just cleaning up the stickiness when there was a rather insistent knock on the door.

Danny went to answer it, but there was no one there. He looked out for the source of the noise when suddenly, something struck the back of his head.

When he woke up he was on the couch and there was a soft whimpering coming from across the room. His vision started to clear and he tried to sit up. The pain forced him to return to the couch and he let out a low groan.

"Don't move to quickly, Detective," said an eerily familiar voice.

"Hadley," Danny muttered, unable to focus on anything other than the fact that his daughter was in the same house as this monster.

"Our last meeting had an unfortunate end. I would hate for this to be a repeat performance."

Danny finally turned his head to where the voice was coming from. Hadley was standing in the space between the living room and the kitchen. Grace was sitting at his feet. Her hands and ankles were tied together and she had duct tape over her mouth. Her frightened eyes met Danny's and once again, he tried to get up.

"Don't make any sudden moves," Hadley said. Telltale clicking resounded in the silence that followed.

"If you hurt her—" Danny began.

"Please," Hadley interrupted. "I have no interest in killing children. That little redhead, on the other hand. I am very interested in killing her."

"I don't know where she is." Danny made his way to his feet, deciding to pretend to be rational. He felt his palms begin to sweat and he analyzed his chances of getting to the gun in the end table before Hadley killed one of them.

"I doubt that very much," Hadley said. "You and your boss keep close tabs on one another, don't you?"

"Usually." Danny shifted his weight back and forth. His equilibrium did not want to cooperate. "This is a special case."

"I'm flattered. But I have no time for games. You are going to tell me where the girl is, or I am going to put a bullet in this one. And if I'm really angry, I may just go finish the job I started yesterday."

Danny really felt like screaming at the guy, but he knew that wouldn't help. He didn't know where Steve and McKenzie were, but he could find out. Hadley must have known that.

"You have ten seconds to agree to my terms," Hadley said, moving his gun in a circular motion over Grace's head.

Danny's phone rang. Hadley held out his hand.

"Slowly," he warned.

Danny handed over the phone but not before seeing it was Kono who was calling.

"Answer it," Hadley said, handing it back. "Tell her you're going to the beach with the little one. Just the two of you."

Danny nodded, seeing a potential out. "Hey, Kono," he said in the brightest voice he could manage. "I'm sorry we won't be able to come over today. Grace and I are going to the beach."

"The beach?" Kono said.

"Yeah. Just the two of us. You know how much I love the beach."

"Danny."

"I have to go." He hung up. He hoped Kono would get the message. He would never have ended a conversation so abruptly with her. And nothing would ever make him willingly go to the beach.

Hadley had no way of knowing that.

**H-5-O**

The first thing McKenzie saw upon waking was Steve's face. He was staring at her and she wondered if he'd slept at all. From the dark circles under his eyes, she didn't think so.

"So are you going to make a habit of this?" she asked.

"Of what?" Steve asked.

"Watching me sleep. Am I in that much danger?"

"There was nothing else to do."

"Why didn't you go to sleep?"

"There was too much to think about."

McKenzie wasn't sure what he was talking about. She wondered if it had anything to do with her. It wasn't that she was so conceited, but strange things had been going on between the two of them. The strangest thing of all was that nothing actually felt strange.

Steve got up and went over to the closet. "You're gonna have to leave now," he said, turning back and holding up his clothes.

McKenzie feigned a dramatic sigh and snatched her blanket. "I'll make breakfast," she said. "Of course it might just be toast."

When Steve came out to the kitchen, McKenzie was just putting something in the oven.

"That's toast?" he asked.

"No," McKenzie replied. "We had enough eggs for German pancakes. But we'll need more food soon."

"There should be some coming tomorrow with the shrink. But pardon my ignorance, what are German pancakes?"

"Um... eggs, milk, flour, sugar."

"I shouldn't have asked."

"You put powdered sugar and lemon juice on them."

"Lemon juice?"

"Maybe that's just what my dad does."

As it turned out, they couldn't find any lemon juice, so they settled for the powdered sugar. When they finished breakfast and were in the process of cleaning up, the phone rang.

For a second Steve just stared at it. Maybe it was news that the murderer had been caught. Or that he'd struck again.

**H-5-O**

Danny sat on the couch holding an icepack to his head with one hand and holding Grace with his other. Kono had gotten the hint and now she was talking with other officers who'd reported to the scene when a neighbor called the police. Apparently, Kono didn't know how to execute a rescue quietly.

The bad news was, Hadley got away again. The good news was he didn't get what he came for.

"Danno," Grace said quietly, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Danny said. "Are you?"

Grace nodded and fell silent. Kono came over to them a short time later.

"I'm going to call Steve," she said, sitting next to Danny. "What's the number?"

Danny handed her his phone and she found it. After the fifth ring, Steve answered.

"Hey, boss," Kono said. "I have some good news and bad news."

"Please tell me nobody's dead," Steve said.

"We had a close call, but no. No deaths so far today."

"Okay, give me the bad news."

"We almost had him. He came to Danny's place this morning and Grace was here. I called and Hadley made him tell me they were going to the beach. That gave it away and I made it over here before he hurt anyone."

"What was he after?"

"He thought Danny would know how to find you. The good news is no one got hurt and he still doesn't know where you are."

"This is getting out of hand."

"I know, boss, and I 'm sorry. This wouldn't have happened with you here."

"That's not what I meant. Nothing this guy has done makes sense. Why take all the risks?"

"They seem to be paying off for him so far."

"Let's hope his luck runs out soon."

"Well, he's certainly made a lot of enemies. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what happened."

"Thanks. Is Chin doing all right?"

"He's fine. Probably still sleeping in fact."

"Okay. Keep me posted."

"Sure, boss."

Kono handed Danny back his phone and stood up.

"Come on," she said.

"Where?" Danny asked, looking up but not moving.

"Back to Chin's place. You're staying with us."

"Kono—"

"No. You're not arguing. What was it you said: 'we Five-Os have to stick together'?"

"Yeah, I did say that, didn't I?"

Kono smiled. "You did. So get your stuff."

Danny and Grace gathered their things and Danny undertook the daunting task of calling Rachel. It wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be. She was more worried than angry. In the end, she agreed to let Danny drop Grace off in the morning.

Danny knew the complications were only just beginning, but for now, he would just appreciate his family and worry about all that later.


	11. We Are Broken

**Chapter Eleven "We Are Broken"**

**This chapter is another song title, this time from Paramore. Thanks again for the reviews. This storyline will probably be ending in a few chapters, but I have some ideas for continuing the adventures of these characters. Any ideas for future escapades are welcomed too. **

"What am I going to do with you?" Steve asked McKenzie, eying her soaked bandage. He was supposed to do the dishes.

"You were busy?" she replied sheepishly.

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Besides," McKenzie continued, "we can't have you scrubbing away all those callouses. I mean, you'll need them when you go back to your day job."

Steve opened his mouth to say something and stopped. He shook his head and took McKenzie by the arm. Unwrapping the bandage, he saw that her arm was still oozing blood.

"Hold it over the sink," he said. Then he got the first aid kit from the bathroom and cleaned up the injury. "If you're not careful, we'll need more of this." He shook the roll of tape between his fingers before putting it away.

"Don't worry; I took my medicine without being told," McKenzie said with a sarcastic smile.

"All right, all right," Steve said. "How is your face?"

"How's yours?"

"Hey."

"Oh, right. My face is fine and so is yours."

"Better." Steve brushed her hair back to be sure. The cuts had formed scabs and didn't look like they would be any more trouble.

"Can I go play now, Mom?" McKenzie asked, looking up at Steve with a look of contrived innocence.

"You're horrible. How did your parents ever put up with you?"

"I was cute and they gave me whatever I wanted."

"Somehow, I believe that."

"No. I'm actually very easy to get along with. I don't know what your problem is."

"Why must it be me?"

"Because I cannot fathom anyone not liking me."

"Neither can I."

Once again, the two of them stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, McKenzie smiled almost seriously.

"You really need to stop feeding my ego," she said. "It'll make it fat."

"Why do women always worry about that?"

"Being fat? I don't know, Barbie?"

"Eew."

"I know. That's why I eat plenty."

"Not that it helps."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think I've said before: you're small."

"I can't help it!"

"It's okay. You don't look plastic, anyway."

"I'm sure that's some sort of compliment."

"Oh, can't you tell? I've been complimenting you all along."

McKenzie tapped her jaw. "Interesting."

"I must say, I'm surprised you thought I didn't like you."

"Did I say that? Oh, yes. Well, I didn't mean it anyway. I frequently say things I don't mean."

"Why?"

"Because I'm an insecure short person... oh, there I go again."

"It's okay. My friend Danny is only a couple of inches taller than you."

"By 'a couple'..."

"I mean two."

"That's reassuring. So do you make a habit of associating with short people?"

"I guess so."

**H-5-O**

Grace wanted to ride with Kono on Chin's bike. As if Danny's head didn't hurt enough already. Thankfully, Kono didn't have a spare helmet, so she had to tell Grace no. Danny and Grace got a ride from one of the officers because Kono told Danny he couldn't drive, and he was inclined to agree.

Once everyone was safely back at Chin's house, Kono started lunch. Chin was a little irritated the Kono hadn't woke him before she left.

"What were you gonna do?" she asked as she sliced tomatoes for sandwiches. "It's not like I would have let you come in with me."

"Oh, you think you could have stopped me?" Chin asked.

"See, this is why I didn't wake you up. How's your head?" Kono turned to Danny who was sitting at the counter. He looked up in surprise at her sudden question.

"The ice is helping," he said.

"Have you talked to Grace yet?" Kono nodded toward the living room where Grace was watching cartoons.

"No," Danny replied. "I didn't exactly have time."

"About you two?" Chin asked. "Am I the only one who knows?"

"Steve knows now."

"He does?" Kono asked.

"Yeah, I told him yesterday."

"Oh, that's what you were going on about."

"Going on?"

"Anyway..."

"Yeah." Danny set the icepack on the counter. "I guess I have to go tell her."

As Chin and Kono watched him walk out to the living room, they thought he looked very like a man on the way to his own execution. The only reason for his apprehension they could imagine was that once Grace knew, Rachel would too. And though they weren't sure why, they thought that might cause Danny some anxiety.

Grace was sitting on the floor with her dolphin trainer doll, watching Bugs Bunny. Danny sat on the couch behind her, not knowing if he would be able to get back off the floor if he went down there.

"Hey, Grace," he said, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

She turned the TV off and gave him her full attention. He didn't know how she had that capacity to be considerate. He certainly didn't.

"Do you like Kono?"

Grace seemed surprised by the question. "Yes," she finally said. "She's really cool; I wish we could hang out with her more."

Danny smiled. "Well, we can."

"We can? Can we go surfing?"

"Whoa, hold on a second. That's not what I wanted to tell you."

"So we can't go surfing?"

"I have no comment on that for the moment."

"That means no."

"Grace, I was trying to talk to you about Kono."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to go out with her."

"Really? Like holding hands and kissing and stuff?"

Danny's smile widened. "Yeah."

Grace wrinkled her nose. "Not in front of me though?"

"Okay."

Grace nodded.

"Does that mean you approve?"

"Well... I guess so, but I still get to come see you, right?"

"Of course."

"And she won't make me have tennis lessons and stuff."

"Nope. Only things you like."

"Like surfing?"

"I thought I told you I wasn't talking about that."

"How about when I'm ten?"

"Later, Monkey."

**H-5-O**

Something was changing. Steve and McKenzie both knew that. They had fallen into a routine, but still every conversation, every teasing comment, bought them closer to something more meaningful. Both of them were beginning to realize that their lives would never be the same after this. While this may well have been an uncomfortable thought, it struck them both as inevitable. They were inclined to believe that all things happened for a reason.

So, when McKenzie began to think that she wouldn't mind having Steve around to protect her all the time, she wasn't too alarmed by the idea. And Steve also began to think that he wouldn't mind being around to protect her all the time. Perhaps it worked just a little too well.

When McKenzie went out onto the patio late in the afternoon, Steve watched her from inside for a while. He thought it was about time to tell her about his dream and was almost past feeling embarrassed about it. He wasn't sure if she would take it well, but something told him she would understand.

So, he stepped outside and made some pathetic comment about the weather.

McKenzie looked at him for a second and then went back to staring out at the scenery. She could tell he had something on his mind and was waiting for him to bring it up.

"So I had this dream," he began.

"Yeah?" McKenzie replied.

"You knew that. I think you should know how it went."

"It was about me."

"Yes. You kept falling. Like yesterday on the trail. Only in the dream, I can't catch you."

"You're afraid you won't be able to keep me safe."

"Rationally concerned."

"What?" McKenzie turned to face Steve.

"It's what Danny says when I accuse him of being scared."

"So, why are you concerned?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"I think I do."

"How's that?"

"Well, when it's just your job, you're confident you can do it, but when it's personal..."

"Personal. Because he's not just threatening some witness now."

"So, can I ask you a very personal question?"

"You can ask."

McKenzie took a deep breath. "Do you like me."

"Yes."

"Oh."

"You were supposed to say something else."

"What?"

"When I answered."

"Um... what was the question?"

"I was being honest and you're making fun of me?"

"No."

"Yes you are." Steve sounded frustrated. "I thought you were serious."

"I was." McKenzie didn't say anything else. She hadn't thought that far ahead. As she let the truth sink in, her hands started to shake. She grabbed the stone railing and took measured breaths. Steve actually liked her and he didn't know she liked him. She remembered she was supposed to say something. It would sound very lame.

"I like you too," she said, not looking at him. She felt heat rising in her face.

"Was that so hard?" Steve asked. He was closer behind her now.

"Yes." She still wouldn't look at him.

Steve laughed. "Why?"

"Because I've never said anything like that before." McKenzie sounded irritated, but really, she was just embarrassed. "And it's not so surprising is it? I mean, you're..."

"I'm what?"

"You know; I don't have to tell you."

"Yeah, but why don't you anyway?" Steve put his hands on her shoulders.

McKenzie felt a little better then, and leaned into him. "You're not perfect I guess, though that's what I was going to say."

"Really? Perfect?"

"Well, see, I'm biased."

"And you've known me six days?"

"I'm very perceptive."

"Yeah, you are."

"So, that's why you like me?"

"There are other things."

"Like?"

"Like you trust me."

McKenzie thought about that. She did, implicitly. Because she _was_ very perceptive and she knew he was trustworthy. More than that, she knew he would put other people before himself.

Steve wrapped his arms all the way around her shoulders so that her back was flat against him. McKenzie relaxed, hearing his heartbeat and feeling very safe, warm, and incandescently happy.


	12. This Means War

**Chapter Twelve**

"**This Means War"**

**Not a lot actually happens in this chapter except relationship building, which is another way of saying dialogue. I'm still open to ideas about future events for these characters, and thanks for those I've already received. The reviews are awesome, so keep 'em coming. **

Danny didn't sleep well on Chin's couch. Around midnight he heard someone go into the kitchen. The footfalls were to loud for Grace who was sleeping in Kono's room. A few minutes later, Kono appeared in the doorway with a glass of water.

"You still awake?" she asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Yeah," Danny replied.

"Before she went to sleep, Grace told me all about her day."

Danny laughed. "You were with her for most of it."

Kono joined Danny on the couch. "She told me how she was really scared this morning, but she knew you would make everything all right."

Danny leaned forward and rubbed his face. "Lucky Hadley doesn't know a thing about me."

"What you did... well, I wouldn't have been able to."

"What are you talking about? You have."

"Not with my own kid. I wouldn't have kept my head."

"Yeah, you would have. You figure out the best way to keep them safe and you do it, no matter what. If you ever have kids, you'll understand."

"I still think I would freak out. I didn't do such a good job with today anyway."

"You probably saved our lives, and that's more than good enough."

Kono seemed to be thinking about that. "Is this how it always feels?"

"What?" Danny asked.

"Protecting your family. Does it always feel like you should have been better?"

Danny considered it for a moment. He remembered thinking of how he should have been able to protect Grace so much better, how Chin should never have gotten hurt. "Yes," he finally said. "You always feel responsible, even when you're not."

"Then we need to catch this guy... yesterday."

"I couldn't agree more."

**H-5-O**

McKenzie blinked several times, realizing that she had almost fallen asleep standing up. She noted with satisfaction that Steve's arms were still wrapped securely around her. The sun was nearing the horizon, but she didn't bother to wonder how long they had stood there in silence. The two of them were so relaxed that their breathing matched perfectly.

Then, McKenzie thought with some shock that she had over a very short time become very attached to the man behind her. This was not the shocking part though.

"I just realized," she said breaking the silence.

"What?" Steve asked.

"I would be really upset if you died."

Steve turned her around so he could look her in the eye. "Why would you say that?" he asked.

"You've told me over and over again how you'll protect me with your life."

"It won't come to that."

"You seem awfully certain."

"I am. My team is going to catch Hadley and he'll never bother us again."

"You have a lot of faith in them don't you?"

Steve nodded. "I put my life in their hands almost every day. Think of how you trust me. Well, that's how I trust them."

"I find that somewhat hard to believe, but only because I don't think you ever need to trust anyone like I trust you."

"You're probably right, but if it ever came to it, I would."

"There's nothing I can do about it anyway," McKenzie said, pulling herself closer to Steve.

"Actually..."

"What?"

"I was just wondering if you've ever fired a gun before."

McKenzie looked up at him with a glint in her eyes. "Once or twice."

"Really?"

"Yes. I know that's hard to believe, but my dad used to do a lot of hunting, so he taught me how to use a gun when I was a teenager."

"What kind?"

"Oh, you're very particular."

"Yes. I only have certain calibers and, as we've already established, you are very small."

"You probably don't have anything as small as I've used before. I did shoot a .357 once."

"I imagine that wasn't very comfortable."

"Not really."

"I might have something with a smaller grip so you can at least hold it and look scary."

"I thought you said I was scary?"

"Creepy, I think was the word. But you need to be scary in the eyes of a man who's killed seven people this week."

"No pressure."

"No, because it's never going to come to that."

"But on the off chance..."

"Exactly. I think I have a .45. Could you handle that?"

"Maybe. With two hands."

Steve finally released McKenzie and turned toward the door. "I'll get it for you."

"Now?"

"Yes. Is that all right?"

McKenzie nodded. "Sure. I'll start dinner." She rubbed her arms and started following him.

Steve stopped in the doorway, looking back at her. He could tell something was wrong. "How's your arm?" he asked.

McKenzie frowned. "It's fine."

"So what isn't?"

"What?"

"What isn't fine?"

"My life's been turned upside down this week. A lot of things aren't exactly fine."

McKenzie pushed her way inside and Steve didn't stop her. He wanted to follow her, to say something, but there was nothing to say. Something special had happened that afternoon, but something equally disturbing had followed. And Steve understood McKenzie's worry. What he didn't understand was why he wasn't able to make it better like all the times before.

So, he went to his room to find a weapon for McKenzie. It only took him a few seconds, but he stood there looking at it for a long time. He heard McKenzie's kitchen noises, which included clanking pans and soft singing. Steve hoped the singing meant she was feeling better, but in the time he'd spent with her, he noticed that she sang whenever she was doing something with her hands.

Steve joined McKenzie in the kitchen, setting the gun on the counter. She only briefly glanced at him before continuing what she had been doing. Steve knew something was very wrong, but he didn't know how to ask her what it was.

"It was something you said," McKenzie told him.

He looked at her in surprise. "Something I said?"

"Yes. You mentioned the man who killed seven people this week." McKenzie filled two plates with spaghetti. "It made me feel a little sick."

Steve pulled her into a hug and ran his hand through her hair. "That's a good thing," he said.

"I guess I'm sort of a wimp about that kind of thing."

"Stop."

"What?"

"You should feel sick about something like that. Just because I hide it doesn't mean I don't feel the same way."

McKenzie pulled away a little and nodded. "Okay," she said. "Dinner's ready."

**H-5-O**

Chin woke early to find Danny and Kono both asleep on the couch. He almost laughed when he thought of how uncomfortable they would be when they woke. He decided a large breakfast was in order and set to making it. A short time later, he heard small footsteps approaching.

"Good morning, Grace," he said without looking away from his pancake batter.

"Morning," Grace replied in a sleepy voice.

"How do you like your pancakes."

"With peanut butter," Grace said, pulling herself up onto one of the bar stools at the counter.

Chin smirked. "Me too."

"So, if Danno marries Kono, will you be my real uncle?"

Chin was at first surprised by the question. Then he smiled. "No, I would be your step first cousin once removed."

"You made that up."

"Did not. But you can say I'm your uncle anyway."

"Whew! Good. That other thing would take too long to say."

Chin laughed. He could get used to having Grace around. He really hoped that Danny and Kono made their relationship last. He knew it was early, but he already felt like Danny and Grace were family.

"What's so funny out here?"

Chin turned to see Danny standing in the doorway. Grace giggled.

"Nothing," she said with a mischievous look.

"Yeah, I believe that."

"How do you like your pancakes, Danno?" Chin asked.

"Oh, no. You don't call me that." Danny shook a finger at Chin.

"I think you're gonna have to get used to it," Grace said.

"The whole world is against me." Danny rubbed his forehead.

"No it's not," Kono said, coming up behind him. She put her arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"Eew!" Grace squealed and covered her eyes.

Then everyone laughed.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie didn't eat much at dinner. Steve always ate mechanically anyway, but he was nervous too. Not about Hadley. He was quite convinced he had nothing to worry about on that front, but he was concerned about McKenzie. He was worried because she would probably suffer the effects of what she witnessed for the rest of her life. She had done very well in the last couple of days, but there was no telling how long that would last.

So, Steve hardly noticed when they stopped eating and he started the dishes. McKenzie disappeared into her room for a while and when she came out, she was wearing her sweatshirt and slippers again.

"Are you cold?" Steve asked, coming out of the kitchen.

McKenzie looked over at him. Her sleeves were pulled over her hands and she was biting one of her nails. She nodded.

Steve came up beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come here," he said, and started walking over to the couch. He sat down, pulling her with him and picked up her book.

"Are you going to read to me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," Steve replied. He found their place and picked up where McKenzie had left off. The characters were arguing about whether to follow Lucy into the forest or not. This was one of McKenzie's favorite parts so she began to relax and sink into the story.

For someone who claimed to be not much of a reader, Steve did quite a good job. He gave different voices to the characters and read faster at the suspenseful parts.

It wasn't until Steve reached the end of the story that he noticed McKenzie was asleep. She had her head nestled on his shoulder and one arm across his stomach. He put the book down and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch. He draped it over both of them and soon fell asleep himself.


	13. Out of the Woods Or Not

**Chapter Thirteen "Out of the Woods...Or Not"**

**Okay, so there will be like two more chapter after this... and maybe an epilogue. I have some ideas for sequels, but I'm not sure which I'm going to go with. I think I'll post my ideas on my forum under "Stories," so you can go check them out and let me know what you think. **

**Once again, thank you for all the awesome feedback and so on. You guys are the best ever!**

After Danny took Grace home, he, Kono, and Chin spent the rest of the day doing mostly nothing. There were several more Pixar movies viewed over the course of the day. At some point, Danny contemplated calling the Carpenters. He wondered how he would feel in their position, whether he would want to know anything. Danny would want to know everything, actually, but he wasn't sure if that was normal. In the end, he decided no news was good news. When he actually had something favorable to report, he would call them.

Danny thought ironically that for once, the crazy things happening were not Steve McGarrett's fault. And then he imagined with some satisfaction how bored his partner would be looking after the witness while the rest of them had all the "fun." Of course, Danny knew if anything like this ever happened again, he would be the bored one. He only hoped he didn't end up with someone who sang in the kitchen, because with his luck, it would be someone who couldn't carry a tune.

With these and other strange thoughts, Danny fell asleep and didn't wake up until the next morning. For once, he was glad to be going back to work. He couldn't wait to get rid of this guy.

**H-5-O**

McKenzie's neck felt stiff when she woke up. Then she realized that her head was going up and down, like someone was breathing under it. There was also something heavy laying across her shoulders and she remembered where she was. She tried not to move, but the crick in her neck was getting worse. She knew as soon as she did move, Steve would wake up.

McKenzie turned her eyes upward. It was a horrible angle, but aside from looking up Steve's nose, she wouldn't complain. Steve's eyelids fluttered, as if he sensed he was being watched. So, McKenzie decided she might as well relieve her neck. She sat up, causing Steve's arm to fall down her back and he opened his eyes completely.

"You sleep like a rock," Steve said.

McKenzie put her arms straight up in the air and stretched. "Rocks don't sleep," she said with a yawn.

"How about a rockfish?"

"I don't know. My dad always says I sleep better than Sleeping Beauty."

"But didn't she sleep for a hundred years?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure she tossed and turned a bit."

"I think it's hysterical that you can talk about this like it's real."

"It is real!"

"Then explain how she wasn't dead by the time she woke up."

"For one thing, you can't wake up if you're dead. For another, it was magic."

"Oh, that clears everything up."

"You're going to have to learn to stop being so sarcastic."

"I'm sorry. Danny rubs off on me."

"You're not sorry."

"But I can pretend to be. Just like you pretend fairytales are real."

"What do you call this?" McKenzie gestured around them.

"I suppose with all your singing and the complete lack of anything to do, this night qualify as a fairytale."

"You don't like the singing?"

"I didn't say that. Actually, you sound good."

"But you might be a little biased."

"Of course I am. As for there being nothing to do, if your arm is healed we could go to the beach again."

"Without all the..."

"No. I have to be armed all the time, and you could get some target practice."

McKenzie stood up. "Okay, but I'm not shooting anything alive... and I'm only going in the water of my own volition."

**H-5-O**

Chin grumbled quietly as he tried to adjust the uncomfortable sling. He was stuck in the office all day while Danny and Kono went to look for Hadley, which involved questioning the victims wives once again. Chin was left in charge of contacting Burton again, who wasn't answering his phone. Monday was off to a lovely start.

It was nearing afternoon when a man Chin vaguely recognized came into the office.

"Excuse me," he said, "I'm James Carpenter. Are you working on my daughter's case?"

"Oh, yes," Chin said, standing and shaking the man's hand. "Would you like to talk in my office?"

"Thank you."

James followed Chin and once they were seated comfortably, he began speaking.

"I just came by to see if there have been any developments since last week."

To the untrained eye, James seemed very calm, almost too calm, but from his experience, Chin could see that James was trying to get information without making a nuisance of himself. Chin greatly appreciated that.

"Unfortunately," he said, "we know who did it, but he escaped custody on Friday. We haven't had any news of him since, except that he threatened Detective Williams trying to find your daughter's location."

James exhaled deeply. "Then it's a good thing no one knows where she is."

"Exactly," Chin said. "We are doing everything we can to find him. Now that we know who he is, he won't be able to hide forever."

"Well, thank you for everything. I'm sure you'll catch him soon."

The two of them stood and shook hands again. "Thank you, Mr. Carpenter," Chin said. "Not everyone would be so understanding."

"We just want McKenzie back safe. And it's just Jim."

Chin smiled. "Jim. I'll be sure to let you know if we have any news."

**H-5-O**

After yet another fruitless conversation with four distraught, yet somehow creepy women, Danny was ready to pull his hair out.

"Hey." Kono rubbed his shoulder when they got back in the car. "They can't tell you what they don't know."

"Yeah," Danny said, sounding unconvinced. "But Jenny Lee knows something."

"How can you tell?"

"I know when a woman is lying to my face."

Kono wondered just how much experience he had with that.

"Anyway," Danny continued. "She knows Hadley, or knows of him. The question is whether she played a part in all this or if she's just afraid of him."

"The latter seems more likely."

"True. I still don't have to like her."

"I don't think anyone likes her. The others keep giving her funny looks and she's always sitting away from them."

"The problem is figuring out what good that information is. Hopefully Chin had more success than we did."

They arrived back at HQ shortly after James Carpenter left. Chin informed them that he hadn't had any luck with Burton and about James' visit.

"I should have called him," Danny said. "I said I would."

"You had a lot on your mind, Brah," Chin said. "He didn't seem offended anyway."

"That's not the point. His daughter is being held captive and he hasn't even had the chance to talk to her."

"And if you were in his place," Kono said, "you would want us looking for the man trying to kill her."

"Actually, I'd be hunting down the SOB myself."

"Just like you're doing now," Chin said. "So let's get back to it."

**H-5-O**

After a short breakfast of fruit and coffee, Steve and McKenzie headed down to the beach. As the climbed down the rocks, Steve looked back to see McKenzie agilely stepping from rock to rock. The gun on her hip couldn't look more out of place.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

Steve realized that he had been staring. "You," he said with a smirk and turned to climb the rest of the way down. He heard McKenzie laughing softly behind him.

They reached their spot on the beach and set down their things. Steve realized that he didn't actually have any hearing protection and McKenzie wouldn't be able to plug her ears this time.

"I have a kneadable eraser," she said when he bright it up.

"A what?"

"It's like silly putty or something." She fished it out of her bag and broke it into two pieces. It didn't really work like earplugs, but it was better than nothing. Steve handed her a small but heavy box. The gun was already loaded. Obviously he expected her to go through a few clips.

McKenzie picked her target: a patch of weeds on the cliff. She aimed, careful to hold her arms steady. Still, the first shot went too high. McKenzie glared at the weeds. She _would_ demolish them. A few more shots, and she managed to come close. By the time she finished the clip, she was able to knock out a few of the weeds.

Steve had a pair of binoculars to watch her progress. "You're gonna have to do better than that," he said.

McKenzie gave him a challenging look as she reloaded. "I'm just getting warmed up." The little cluster was gone by the end of the second clip.

"One more," Steve said.

"How much ammo do you have?"

"A lot." He pointed at further target. "See if you can hit that rock."

It took ten rounds, but McKenzie finally hit the stupid rock. She pulled the eraser out of her ears and threw it back in her bag. She reloaded the gun and stowed it away too.

"Are you satisfied?" she asked.

"Sure," Steve replied with a grin. "I don't think there's anything hotter than a girl with a gun."

McKenzie blushed. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Actually, I hadn't ever thought of it before."

"Sure." Then McKenzie took off running toward the water.

Steve didn't miss a beat and was on her heels. Before she knew what was happening, he picked her up and dove in, much like the last time. She had a feeling this was going to become a habit.

**H-5-O**

Dr. Harrison Eisner could not remember feeling so afraid. It was not even that he feared death so much. It was knowing that he could not protect his own family without putting someone else in danger. He weighed his options as he walked out to his car. The gun to his back was enough motivation for that little trip. Still, he hadn't decided whether to drive to the safe house or into the ocean. He decided that driving the car off a cliff would not necessarily ensure Hadley's death, however, a meeting with Lieutenant Commander McGarrett most certainly would.

Eisner tried to figure out the best way to alert the commander and his charge without getting himself or them killed. He thought about it the entire drive. He knew the roads by heart, even though he had been blindfolded every time. He wished now that he hadn't paid so much attention. It might cost innocent lives in the long run.


	14. Waiting for the End to Come

**Chapter Fourteen "Waiting for the End to Come"**

**Yet another chapter named after a song. This time, it comes from Linkin Park. So, we're nearing the end! If you want to give input for the end of this story or stories to come, check out my forum and leave a comment. Once again, thank you all for reading and the great reviews. I know I didn't always do everything right, but I'm getting there ;-)**

The salt sting was worth the view. McKenzie gazed upward at the sunlight filtering through the water. For a second, the whole world was silent and peaceful. When she surfaced, Steve was a few feet away from her, smiling as if he knew something she didn't.

"What?" she asked.

"I was just thinking we'll have to go snorkeling when we get back."

McKenzie smiled. "That would be awesome."

"Have you ever been surfing?"

"A couple times. I got to go at Cannon Beach once. The water is a lot colder there."

"So you admit it's warm?"

"No. Not _as _cold."

"We should probably get back to the house. Eisner's coming back today."

"Oh, you just have to ruin all my fun."

"I thought you liked him."

"He's fine. This... is better."

Steve smiled. He had a feeling McKenzie was going to be fine. They got out of the water and dried off. The hike back up to the house wasn't as fun as the hike down, but they both figured they could go back the next day.

Once back at the house, they cleaned up and changed. McKenzie was getting used to wearing the gun on her belt, though she would be happy when she didn't have to. It was heavy and awkward; otherwise, she didn't mind. She thought about asking her dad if he had a smaller one she could have when she saw him again.

When she came out of the bathroom, McKenzie saw Steve sitting on the couch, reading. She noted with surprise that he was wearing jeans and no shoes for the first time since she'd met him.

"Wow," she said putting her hands on her hips, "I didn't know Steve McGarrett had toes."

Steve looked up at her and smirked. "And toenails too." He set the book down on the makeshift coffee table and held out his arm. McKenzie came over and settled under it. Steve kissed the top of her head and she felt warmth creep across her scalp.

"We're going to be okay, aren't we?" he said. He said it almost as if he were telling her.

"Yeah," McKenzie agreed, smiling.

Then they heard the sound of a car horn. McKenzie half stood before Steve pulled her back down and bullets came ripping through the side of the house. Steve pushed McKenzie to the floor.

"Stay down," he said. Then he picked up his gun from the end table and crept over to the security video monitors. He saw an unfamiliar car in the driveway, Eisner in the front seat with a considerable head wound. And standing in the yard, brazen as the sun, was a man Steve would recognize anywhere though he'd never seen him.

**H-5-O**

Danny sat back in his office chair wishing he had a tennis ball. Or a baseball. The afternoon was wearing on and so far they had no leads on Hadley. When Chin came into his office, Danny would have settled for bad news.

"We got a call from a Mrs. Eisner who says a man fitting our guy's description abducted her husband this morning."

Danny sat up and stared at Chin for a second. His confusion was quickly replaced with dread. He stood up and grabbed his keys.

"What's going on?" Chin asked.

"Eisner is the psychologist. He's trying to find McKenzie Carpenter."

They were now out in the main room and Kono overheard. "What happened?"

"Hadley kidnapped Dr. Harrison Eisner," Chin said. "Apparently he knows where Steve and McKenzie are."

"But we don't even know where they are," Kono said.

"I'm going to find out," Danny said, pulling out his phone. Unfortunately, the governor was "unavailable" and neither Steve nor McKenzie were answering their phones.

"What do we do now?" Kono asked.

"We go to Eisner's house and see if his wife knows anything. Maybe his car has a GPS."

"I think Hadley would be smarter than that," Chin said.

"Do you have a better idea?" Danny's voice rose slightly.

"Do we know who the doctor's driver was?"

"The governor wouldn't tell us," Kono said. "Danny's right. Let's go."

**H-5-O**

McKenzie still hadn't quite registered the fact that someone was trying to kill her. So she wasn't exactly paying attention when Steve was trying to talk to her.

"McKenzie!" His voice was somewhere between a whisper and a yell.

"Huh?" McKenzie peeked over the arm of the couch.

Steve pointed. "Get over behind the counter when I say 'go'."

She nodded and watched as Steve inched toward the front widow. He had his back against the wall as he looked out. Hadley was coming up the path. Steve didn't have a clear shot; the angle was wrong. He covered his face and shot through the glass anyway. It was a distraction at least.

Then he shouted, "Go!"

McKenzie jumped up and ran for the end of the counter, sliding to the floor when she reached it. She looked back to see Steve ducking under the window as several shots came through it. Now they were on opposite sides of the door.

After some more back and forth, Steve made it over to the end of the counter. The front window was completely gone along with a lot of the wall. When Steve sat down next to McKenzie, he seemed to be searching for something in his pockets. When he came up empty he cursed under his breath.

"What is it?" McKenzie asked.

"Stay here." Steve went around the counter into the kitchen. He opened one of the cupboards they had never used. "Aha!" He seemed happy with what he found. As he came back to McKenzie, he was inserting a new clip into his gun.

"What was that all about?" McKenzie asked.

"I hid some extras up there," Steve replied. "I'd almost forgotten about it."

"Great, but how are you going to get him when he's outside?"

"I'm working on it."

They both forgot their conversation when they heard the front door. Steve pushed McKenzie back a little and looked around the corner of the counter, ready to shoot. But the person that staggered into the house was not Hadley; it was Eisner. Unfortunately, he collapsed before he reached safety. Steve assumed that was Hadley's plan.

"Okay," Steve said, "here's the plan: I'll hold him off while you drag Eisner into the kitchen."

McKenzie gave him a look of disbelief. "You want me to drag him?"

"He fell on the rug. Look we have to be fast. I'm going to jump out and start shooting and you stay behind me."

"That's the easy part."

"Come on."

McKenzie had no choice but to agree. For one thing, Steve wouldn't let her disagree and she didn't want Eisner to die because she couldn't help him. So, they carried out the plan, and it went well, except for the part where Steve got a bullet in his left arm.

"See if you can help him," Steve said when they reached the safety of the kitchen.

"But—" McKenzie started, gesturing at Steve's arm.

"I've been shot before. Just take care of him."

McKenzie nodded and tried to see what she could do for Eisner. From what she could tell, he had been knocked on the head by a blunt object and was drifting in and out of consciousness. She got a towel to stop the blood flow, but there was little else to do. By that time, Steve and Hadley had started shooting at one another again.

**H-5-O**

Mrs. Eisner closed the front door and met the detectives on the front walkway.

"Sorry about this," she said. "I don't want to worry the kids more." She wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. "What can I do?"

Danny spoke up. "Do you have any idea where they were going?"

She shook her head. "Harry kept it a secret. He wasn't even supposed to know, but... he couldn't help it. He memorized the roads."

"Does his car happen to have a GPS?" Chin asked.

"No. He barely has a cell phone."

"With him?" Kono asked.

"I... think so."

"What's the number?" Chin asked.

She gave him the number and they headed back to the car. All they knew was the direction Eisner had taken Hadley. Knowing the safe house was probably outside the city, Danny and Kono headed in that direction while Chin went back to HQ to see if he could track Eisner's phone. About fifteen minutes later, he called Kono to let them know the phone was off. They were on their own. Of course, they kept trying to reach the governor and the safe house, but got no answer.

Danny was driving too fast but had little idea where he was going. He hadn't been out of the city much and then it was always with someone else driving.

"Where is the most likely place to hide people around here?" he asked Kono.

"They don't hide people in 'most likely' places," she replied.

"That's not helpful."

"Sorry. I don't know. There are probably some vacation homes up here, but how would we know?"

"Did Chin try tracking McKenzie's phone?"

"Yeah. He said it was off too."

"Great."

"Let's think positive here. Maybe Eisner drove off a cliff and Steve and McKenzie are outside, or sleeping, or... I don't know."

"Yeah. But if not, why wouldn't they answer the house phone?"

"Maybe they don't want to talk to you."

"I'm going to forget you said that."

"Thank you."

**H-5-O**

Steve peeked around the corner of the counter. He had one more clip. The rest of his firepower was in his room, the furthest room from the kitchen. Hadley was holed up on the other side of the front door. Steve wasn't sure, but he didn't think he'd even injured the other man. Meanwhile the wound on his left arm was bleeding, making his fingers slippery. McKenzie came back, this time she had her own gun out.

"What exactly are you planning on doing?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You know, just in case," she replied with a sheepish look.

Steve couldn't help smiling. "How's Eisner?"

"I'm not a doctor. I think he _might_ be okay."

"Good enough... do you have your phone?"

"No, it's in my room. why?"

"He cut the phone line."

"How do you know?"

"Because I tried to use the phone."

"Oh..."

"There's a disposable cell phone in the car. It's been off of course. You should have a clear shot to the car from the side door." Steve nodded in that direction.

"Then what?"

"You get in the car and drive towards town, calling Danny, HPD, and anyone else you can think of on the way." He looked back around the counter.

"Wait a second, you want me to leave?"

Steve met her eyes. "Honestly? No. But this is our best option right now."

"I don't think I can."

Steve had to remember that this wasn't normal for her. She needed a little more encouragement. So, he took her face in his bloody left hand and kissed her. He didn't have time to make it anything special, but it wasn't entirely forgettable either. Then he pulled away, still holding her chin.

"You have to do this," he said. "Don't look back."

McKenzie nodded, unable to say anything. She slowly crept to the side door. She couldn't help taking one last look as Steve check around the corner again. Then she ran for the car. She didn't bother to think as she gunned it out of the carport and down the road. Behind her, she heard gunshots and prayed as she never had before that Steve was all right.

After a minute she opened the glove box and found the phone. Danny's number was programed in. She hit send and waited anxiously for it to ring.

**H-5-O**

Danny answered his phone the second it started ringing.

"Steve?" he said.

"Sorry to disappoint you," McKenzie replied.

"What's going on."

"Um... I'm driving down the road."

"Where is Steve?"

"He's at the house. Um, Hadley found us and he and Steve have been shooting at each other for... about fifteen minutes."

"How did you get out?"

"Side door. Steve told me to call you, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now."

"Do you have a GPS?"

"Yeah."

"Turn it on."

There was a second's silence. "Oh. I see. I have coordinates here if that helps."

"We're in the car now. Give them to me."

McKenzie recited the numbers on the screen and Kono put them in the GPS.

"We're only a few minutes away," she said.

"Okay, McKenzie," Danny said. "We'll meet you in about two minutes. We're in a silver Camaro."

"Got it," McKenzie replied.

Danny hung up. He realized he had unconsciously increased his speed and they met McKenzie sooner than anticipated. She pulled over to the side of the road and jumped out of the car. Kono opened the door for her and climbed into the backseat.

"Hi," McKenzie said, as she practically fell into the seat.

"Hi," Danny replied, slamming down the gas peddle again. "Where are we going?"

"It's a few miles up this road. Just keep going straight."

"Why didn't anyone answer when I called?"

"Um, my phone was in my room and Hadley cut the phone line I guess."

"Jerk thought of everything," Kono muttered.

"So where's the doctor?" Danny asked.

"In the kitchen," McKenzie said. "Hadley sent him in to distract us or something. I really don't know anything about head wounds, but I'm pretty sure we'll need an ambulance... and there's Steve's arm."

"We called for backup," Kono said. "Is Hadley alone?"

"Yeah. I don't know what kind of weapon, or weapons, he has, but I'm sure it's something huge and illegal."

"Sounds the kind we usually deal with." Kono rolled her eyes.

Danny had been silent for a disproportionate amount of time and from all the stories she'd heard, even McKenzie knew that was bad.

**H-5-O**

Steve was out of ammo. He wouldn't make it to his room alive so he waited. He heard Hadley's footsteps coming up the steps and through the door. He didn't think about his father or how he'd never solved his mother's murder. He thought of McKenzie and how everything would end before it began. He thought of Danny and his daughter. He thought of Kono, just out of the academy. He thought of Chin, who would probably go back to security. These were his only regrets. He had started something good, but it was all going to end with one obsessive murderer.

"Get up." The strange voice brought Steve out of his thoughts. Hadley stood next to him, looking very much as if he would like to kill Steve.

"Where is she?" Hadley demanded once Steve reached his feet.

Steve did his best to appear unconcerned. "I don't know. Probably meeting up with HPD on their way here."

"You think you can scare me away?"

"No. Not really."

"They may have her, but she can't hide forever... and you won't be able to protect her anymore." Hadley lifted his gun, but then seemed to reconsider. Steve saw it coming, but didn't have time to react as the butt of the gun collided with his jaw, and then his stomach. Hadley hit Steve several more times before his knees finally thudded to the floor. There was one upside to this, Steve thought: Hadley might stay long enough for backup to arrive and take him out. He didn't have long to think about that, because his focus turned toward staying conscious.


	15. The Healing of Harms

**Chapter Fifteen "The Healing of Harms"**

**So, this should be the last chapter before the epilogue. I was threatened that someone would hunt me down if I killed Steve, so never fear; he'll live. I hope his battle with Hadley will be to everyone's liking. Some of you are very sadistic! Just kidding: the reviews for the last chapter were great and I appreciated every one. **

**The title of this chapter is the same as that of the last one in _The Silver Chair_. I thought it was fitting.**

Steve soon realized that Hadley wasn't going to kill him. At least not yet. That changed things a little. Sure, Steve didn't have a gun and Hadley did, but if the latter wasn't even going to use his as more than a club of sorts, it evened the playing field a bit. So when Hadley tried to play tee-ball with Steve's head, he reached out and grabbed the end of the gun. Surprisingly, Hadley let go and the gun went flying towards the side door, out of reach of either of them.

Steve reached for the knife on his calf, only to find that he'd forgotten it in his room. Putting that out of his mind, he jumped at Hadley, ignoring the pain of what would probably turn into massive bruises later. They both went down, the wood floor creaking under them. Hadley threw Steve off and Steve landed rather uncomfortably on his back. He rolled away as Hadley tried to come at him again and got to his feet. He aimed a kick at Hadley's chest and sent him to the floor again.

Things were looking pretty good, until Hadley tipped the scales in his favor by drawing a knife. Steve cursed mentally and started dodging. He had a sudden sensation of déjà vu.

Surprisingly, Hadley was better with the knife than Steve would have thought and he found himself struggling to keep away from it, failing at times. He began to contemplate his options, but considering the shrink bleeding out in the kitchen, Steve didn't have much of a choice.

He grabbed Hadley's wrist, arresting the movement of the knife for a second, but Hadley twisted his arm and dug the knife into the back of Steve's hand until he was forced to let go. Then Hadley brought the handle of the knife up and slammed it into Steve's already sore jaw. Once again, the SEAL dropped to one knee to keep from falling altogether. Hadley took the advantage, bringing the knife to Steve's neck.

"I had a feeling we wouldn't do this the easy way," Hadley said.

"There's an easy way?" Steve replied.

Hadley circled around him, keeping the knife at his throat. "Not anymore."

**H-5-O**

The drive back to the no-longer-safehouse seemed to take an eternity. When Danny practically slid into the driveway, the three of them were out of the car and running for the house as fast as they could go. Somehow, McKenzie ended up in front of the group, throwing the door open. What she saw made her heart drop to her stomach. There was the man she had feared standing with a knife poised to kill the man she was most probably in love with.

Until it was over, McKenzie didn't realize what happened. Somehow, her gun ended up in her hands, a wordless shout escaped her lips, and she squeezed the trigger without a second thought. The more surprising part was the second gunshot. McKenzie turned to her left to see Danny standing next to her in the same posture. The exchanged a nanosecond glance before hurrying over with Kono to see if Steve was okay.

He had fallen all the way to the floor after Hadley was shot. As the three of them got closer, they could see that he was bleeding from several cuts on his arms and torso, as well as the bullet wound in his left arm. He was still fully conscious, though he would rather not have been. Hadley was most certainly dead and Kono went to check on the doctor.

Danny kneeled next to Steve, wincing as pain shot through his knee. McKenzie was on Steve's other side, putting pressure on the cut on his hand.

"Hey," Danny said, taking inventory of Steve's injuries. "You couldn't just shoot the guy?"

Steve gave a small groan. "It's a long story."

"I'll bet."

"Good job, McKenzie."

"Thanks," she said. "How are you feeling."

"Horrible. Thanks for asking."

"Always the dramatic," Danny said.

"_I'm_ dramatic?" Steve asked.

"I think I hear the ambulance," McKenzie said.

"Thank goodness," Danny muttered.

About that time, Kono came out of the kitchen supporting Dr. Eisner. She had managed to stop the blood flow and he was getting some color back. Chin came into the house followed by several officers and paramedics.

"Looks like you guys had all the fun without me," he said.

"You seem to have had some," Steve said, eying Chin's sling. "But I'll let you have it all next time."

"Does he always talk this much when mortally wounded?" McKenzie asked.

There was a chorus of yeses from the Five-Os. Steve frowned and argued that he was not mortally wounded while the paramedics started carrying him out to the ambulance.

There was an awkward moment as McKenzie realized that no one knew what had happened between her and Steve. She got several curious looks when she asked if she could go to the hospital with him.

"I'll take you," Danny finally said. "We can get your stuff and meet your parents there."

It only took a few minutes to gather up all of McKenzie's and Steve's things and pile them in Danny's trunk. Then they hit the road and for a second, McKenzie felt her breath catch in her throat. She was going back to civilization. At the moment, she was ignoring the fact that she had just shot a man, because Danny shot him too, so she could imagine it was his bullet that killed Hadley. No, right now, she was sort of freaking out about the idea of going back to a normal life where she would have to tell her parents that she had managed to get herself involved with the man who was protecting her. She was certain her parents would like Steve, but the whole thing was highly unusual anyway.

"Is something wrong?"

McKenzie jumped at the sound of Danny's voice. "Um... what exactly did you have in mind?"

"Knowing that you've spent the last week with Steve, it could be any number of things."

"I guess you're right about that."

"You want to stop being cryptic, or am I gonna have to guess?"

"I'm not sure how to explain this."

"If it has something to do with Steve, I'm not surprised."

"It has everything to do with him."

"Hence you wanted to go see him."

"Yeah, about that. I guess I understand why everyone was confused. Apparently when you spend a week living with someone, you get pretty close."

Danny cocked his head. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Probably exactly what your thinking."

"I try not to assume when it comes to my partner."

"Well, I'm not sure how to describe it."

"Been there."

"Oh yeah. The whole future tense thing."

Danny gave McKenzie a curious look. "How do you know about that?"

"I asked what was wrong with his grammar because I didn't hear anything."

"Will you forgive me if I say you're not his type?"

"Yes. He's not mine either... If I even have a 'type,' which I'm not sure of."

"Opposites attract, I guess. Case in point: me."

"I would claim to have no idea what you're talking about, but Steve talks about you guys a lot."

Danny shook his head, fighting a smile. "No comment."

"It's mostly good. Except the time he was trying to make me feel better about being short."

"Please don't go there."

"I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"Damn straight."

"It would be easy enough for you to get back at him."

"What? By telling you something embarrassing? Let's see... He tried to walk off a roof once, he can't play basketball, he scares kids, he knows how to sew... Oh, he tried to order a master cylinder off the internet and ended up with a clutch plate."

"I'm sure that would be funny if I knew what it meant."

"Yeah. I know I'll think of something better eventually."

**H-5-O**

Steve woke up feeling pleasantly numb. He remembered that Hadley was dead, and therefore his part of the case was over. He could go home and not have to worry about anyone trying to kill McKenzie. She would be safe with her family.

That thought gave him pause. He wondered if things would continue as they had been once she found out what a workaholic he was.

At that point he opened his eyes to see Danny and McKenzie sitting side by side, staring at him.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked.

"You mean besides that nasty bruise?" Danny asked.

Steve remembered that he'd been hit in the jaw more than once. "I can't feel anything."

"That would be the pain medication," McKenzie said.

"I didn't think it was that bad."

"Are you kidding?" Danny's voice got a little louder. "You were a few minutes away from bleeding to death. Plus you managed to get two broken ribs, an almost broken jaw—which might have been nice—and a considerable hole in your arm."

"My ribs might have already been weak."

"Oh, now you blame me," McKenzie said.

"What?" Danny was confused.

"Nothing, Danno. So, which one of you killed him."

"Max is looking into it," Danny said. "Though he thinks the guy might have died of internal bleeding anyway. Honestly, you couldn't have knocked him out?"

"He knew what he was doing."

"Obviously." Danny gestured at their surroundings.

Steve turned to McKenzie. "Have you seen your parents yet?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "They met us here. They want to meet you when you feel up to it."

"That may be a while."

"I thought you said you felt fine."

"That's not what I meant."

"They already like you, so you can relax."

Danny couldn't help laughing. The idea of Steve being nervous of meeting a girl's parents was unthinkable. Of course, there was more to it than that, but Steve didn't really feel like sharing.

When Kono and Chin arrived a short time later, Danny got an evil look in his eye.

"What?" Steve asked.

"What what?" Danny replied, putting on an innocent mask.

"Don't even try to pretend you weren't thinking something horrid."

"Really? I was just thinking Chin is going to have to spring for more pizza." Danny looked meaningfully at McKenzie and Chin and Kono immediately knew what he was talking about. "Though I'll be this one eats pineapple."

"Actually I don't really like pineapple," McKenzie said. "I'm kind of boring. Pepperoni. Cheese. You know."

Danny looked like he was going to faint. "How did you end up with him?" he asked in an astonished voice.

McKenzie shrugged. "He never threatened me with pineapple, I guess."

Danny looked at Steve. "So you're just going to start a relationship based on lies, I see."

"Shut up, Danno," Steve said. "Your voice is giving me a headache."

"No. That's from a very large man with a very large gun."

"The painkillers are wearing off?" McKenzie asked.

"All good things must come to an end, I suppose," Steve said. "And speaking of that: when do I get to leave this lovely place?"

"In the morning," McKenzie said. "After that you have strict instructions not to do anything for at least a week."

"No, I think paperwork is allowed," Danny said.

"Yeah," Steve said. "Nothing."

"You're forgetting," Kono said. "Danny promised pizza."

"I did no such thing," Danny argued.

"I think you did, brah," Chin said.

"I said you had to buy pizza."

"I think it's your turn."

"It couldn't possibly be my turn until Steve actually pays for something."

"Oh, yeah," Steve said. "Make the injured guy pay."

"I think I'm the only one in this room who hasn't been injured in the last few days," Kono said.

"Hey," McKenzie said, holding up her hands, "I'm pretty sure my dad will want to have a barbeque in the next few days. And I'm sure everyone would be invited."

"Wait, I have an idea," Steve said.

"Oh no," Danny groaned.

"Will someone please silence him? What I was going to say was we could have it at my house. That way there would be plenty of room and those who wanted to could play in the water or surf or whatever."

"While we sane people stay on the deck," Danny said.

"If you're not careful he may throw you in the ocean," McKenzie said. "Trust me."


	16. Epilogue: One Week Later

**Epilogue**

_**One week later...**_

McKenzie leaned against the deck rail watching her dad and Steve starting the barbeque. Her parents got along with Steve even better than she thought they would. It probably had something to do with the fact that he nearly died for her, but there was definitely other common ground. Jim had volunteered to help Steve restore his dad's old car and Michelle, McKenzie's mom, wanted to learn to surf. McKenzie happened to think her mom was weird, but she loved it.

This barbeque was something of a celebration, though no one could quite agree what they were celebrating. Steve's recovery was on the list, as well as the two relationships that materialized the previous week. But McKenzie had one more to add.

"Hey," she said, getting everyone's attention. "I have good news."

"You've turned Steve into a human?" Danny asked.

Kono elbowed him, but everyone laughed.

"I'm afraid not," McKenzie said, with a grin. "But I did get the job I wanted."

"The one at Gracie's school?" Steve asked.

"Seriously?" Danny said. "That's great. I mean, you have to be an amazing teacher if you taught him to read." He jerked his thumb in Steve's direction.

McKenzie laughed, remembering how Danny had stayed at the hospital while she read the rest of _The Chronicles of Narnia_ with Steve. When they finished, Danny asked to borrow the book to read with Grace.

Michelle went over to give her daughter a hug. "What will you be teaching?" she asked.

"Fourth through sixth grade humanities," McKenzie said. "And the only thing I'm not looking forward to is the dress code."

Danny couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Finally, someone else around here will look professional."

"Hey, I'm surprised you're not wearing your tie today," Steve said.

"It's Saturday and it's your house."

"Oh, so I'm not important."

"To preserve my sanity, I'm going to ignore you."

"You mean you're going to try?"

"No. I am going to ignore you completely. Everyone will be happier that way."

"Then I guess you won't hear it when I tell you the food is ready?"

"Shut up."

The conversation only deteriorated from there. Finally, Jim announced that the food was ready. Most of the afternoon was spent eating and laughing. Michelle had made her famous potato salad and apple pie for dessert, which Danny greatly appreciated. After lunch, everyone went down to the beach. Steve still couldn't go in the water because his stitches weren't out yet, so he and Danny sat in the Adirondack chairs watching the others have fun. Even though he had been happy to ignore it for the last week, Steve was curious about how the case was finishing up. Danny was more than happy to share.

"I'm convinced he had an accomplice," Danny said. "There's no way he managed the first hit alone. There were too many variables."

"And you still think one of the widows had something to do with it?" Steve asked.

"Jenny Lee. The woman frankly creeps me out. Hadley killed them over some disagreement in their cult, but she claims they weren't even involved in it, which we know isn't true from what Burton told us. For a creepy cult, they keep good records."

"But their wives weren't recorded?"

"No. But I'm beginning to think a requirement for membership in this thing is misogyny. There aren't any women in their membership records."

"But they have female employees?"

"Yeah. It's weird. I'm not sure if it's relevant, but it would explain why Jenny Lee didn't show up anywhere, even if she were involved."

"An you can't find anything on her?"

"Nope. Model citizen. And any time we mention Hadley or the cult, she clams up. It could be that he threatened her, but he's dead now."

"So there has to be more to this. Did the priest guy know anything?"

"We've been in contact with him and he's trying to think of anyone else who might have been on Hadley's side. We've started checking the membership against people who have recently been here or are here now. Nothing suspicious has come up yet."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Steve leaned back in his chair. "I'm sure the fight will come to us."

"Yeah, now with you back in the saddle. At this rate, I'll be dead before president's day."

"Isn't that one of those special occasions on which I'm supposed to apologize for getting you shot?"

"Yes. I'm expecting a thoughtful card and maybe doughnuts."

"You are such a cliché."

"And what are you? G.I. Joe?"

"Have you been talking to McKenzie?"

"Define talking?"

Steve shook his head. "It's just that she called me that once."

"Take a hint."

"She also said I make faces."

"I refer you to my previous statement."

"I would be happy if you would stop naming them."

"And take all the fun out of it?"

"No. You know what's fun? The ocean. Surfing."

"Shut up. I'll throw sand in your eyes and you'll rethink how 'fun' the ocean is."

"That would require you to actually _touch_ the sand."

"I might have to. Anyway, it's in my shoes already."

"Then take them off. No one else is wearing shoes."

"Have you ever heard of Murphy's Law?"

"Yeah. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

"Yes. If I take my shoes off, chances are I'll step on a rusty nail and then get bitten by a poisonous snake."

"Neither of those have anything to do with the ocean."

"Oh, that's on my way to the water. Once I actually get there, I'll be stung by a jellyfish, attacked by a shark, and probably drown."

"And you think I'm dramatic."

Late that evening when everyone else had gone home, Steve and McKenzie still sat on the beach, listening to the waves and watching the stars. Steve was still in the chair and McKenzie was sitting on the ground between his knees.

"What were you and Danny talking about for so long?" she asked.

"Danny talks a lot,"Steve said. "That doesn't mean it was about anything."

McKenzie laughed. "Seriously. You were talking about the case, weren't you?"

"Yes." Steve didn't elaborate.

"Danny told me the M.E. still doesn't know which bullet killed Hadley."

"It was a joint effort, then."

"Seeing as how he would have died anyway."

"Yeah... I didn't realize I'd hurt him so much."

"I'm glad it's over anyway... at least the hiding part."

"The problem is, it's not over. So I would understand if..."

"If what?" McKenzie turned around to look at Steve. "I think it's a little late to back out now, even if I wanted to. Besides, it's my fight too."

"I wish you hadn't said that."

"You know, I get it. You don't want me to be part of your world because it scary and dangerous. But I think I've proven I can handle it. Yes, I'm never going to stop thinking about his face when I shot him, and it's changed me, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing."

"Okay. I just wanted to give you the opportunity to walk away from this. I know you can take care of yourself, but I hope you won't ever have to again."

McKenzie shivered slightly as the breeze picked up. Steve felt it and leaned forward, putting his hands under her arms to lift her onto his lap.

"Careful," McKenzie said as she settled in.

Steve laughed. "I could lift you in my sleep."

"With nearly a hundred stitches and two broken ribs?"

"One or the other. Not both."

"That's what I thought." McKenzie rested her head against Steve's neck. "So, you want to help me apartment shopping tomorrow?"

"Okay. Do I get a say in where you live?"

"I don't know. Why would it matter?"

"Well, it would need to be close enough to certain other places."

"You're going to have to battle my mom over that. She was sort of disappointed that you live on the other side of town from them. The school tips the scales in your favor though."

"Aha, the shorter your commute, the longer you can sleep."

"If that's my only character flaw, I'll take it."

"It's not."

"Thanks."

"You asked for it."

"You're asking for it right now, but because I'm nice, I won't take advantage of it."

"Or you just can't think of a comeback."

"I could if I wanted to." McKenzie's voice sounded very sleepy.

"Are you going to need a ride home?"

"Probably... this was a good day."

"It was. Only one thing could make it better."

"What's that."

"I've been thinking of how to say this since I don't know when. But when I thought Hadley was going to kill me the one thing I couldn't stop thinking of was how I would never see you again. And it's taken me this long to realize what that meant: you would never know that I love you."

McKenzie sat up, and in the dark, Steve couldn't quite read her expression. "You're wrong about one thing," she said, leaning closer to his face. "Even if, God forbid, you had died, I still would have known. I could see it in your eyes when you sent me away." Then she kissed him, and it was better than their first kiss.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Steve asked as they pulled away.

"Oh," McKenzie said, glad it was dark enough that Steve couldn't see her blush. "I suppose it's only fair." She traced the small cut on his neck. "I had a similar experience. I thought you were going to die and I realized I loved you too."

Steve pulled her in and kissed her again. "Was that so hard?" he asked.

_**The End...**_

_**I would like to thank all of you faithful readers who stuck with this story. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate every review, message, favorite, and alert. I am planning to continue this plot in a new story. If you want to have input or are curious about what's going to happen, check out my forum "You Have a Face" and look under "Stories" at my last post. Feel free to leave a comment there or PM me or whatever. And be on the lookout for the next installment which will probably be called "Good Parenting." **_


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